Tender Sea: The Final Revise
by Strange Obsession
Summary: Barren, desolate, the era of shinobi ended in a flood of red, dying the torn earth crimson. Gone were those who fought with pride, conviction... fear. They would be the last to go. Ahead was the death of everything, the world would reset and maybe life would return, but why would she want any of that? Time-Travel!, Fem!Naru, Eventual Kaka!Naru. Rater M just in case.
1. For It Was Not Human

**A/N** I MAKE NO PROMISES

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything of the sort.

This is a rewrite of the original Tender Sea (now labeled as ABANDONED). There's quite a few changes besides the fact I've decided to not focus so much on the past, i.e. no more random dream/flashbacks (or if they appear not many).

I've been tossing around different pairing ideas, who lives and dies, who's good and bad, BUT the main things is still that this is a time travel fic, and there will be Kakashi x Naruto moments.

Also, just a heads up, the timeline in this story is a bit different from the canon one (but it's fanfiction so I think I'm allowed my inaccuracies). (I will be ignoring everything that has to do with Kaguya and believe in the fact that Obito died in the third war)

This chapter is mainly in Kurama's view, enjoy!

* * *

 **~Chapter 1 – FOR IT WAS NOT HUMAN…**

There was a time he could remember being a child, like all living things even if he wasn't quite 'living'. He had been born…created, same difference, and he had grown. Nothing changed in the first few centuries of his life, things below him rustled in their creation and his 'siblings' drifted apart. It may have been his fault, but at the same time he prided himself in being the most powerful, the most superior. Simply the greatest. He only needed himself.

That was when humans learned to stand from their crawl, their emotions buzzing around him like an annoying bug. They stood ignorantly, stepped forward misguidedly, and began running to someplace they would never comprehend.

'Never' he repeated. Roaring, yowling, staring hatefully at the man, a single human, that meant to capture him. They would not be tamed, they would not be killed, but somewhere along the way it had been learned that they could simply be sealed away. The self-proclaimed strongest now caged inside a frail but unbreakable cell. He couldn't kill his 'host' and yet dreaded the idea of letting her die. Their lives were linked. He knew he would return though, whereas she would not, the question though was how long it would take. How long would he cease to exist for? A day, a year, a millennium? No one knew for sure. It was beyond frightening though he refused to admit it. So he remained ruefully, hatefully, in his cell.

How long was it he slept for? He wasn't quite sure anymore, but the young girl he had been sealed within had grown old with age, a telling of her mortality. He wasn't granted freedom though, instead moving into another vessel. A similar appearance, a similar personality, a similar fate for him. It was as if nothing had changed.

And then something happened. He attributed it to the foolishness of humanity. He was yanked out from his cell and brought back out into the world. How he had missed it, the sights, the smell, the sounds. And then he remembered how it had been taken from him, and with that came true rage. The fury that he had nurtured for all those years, for having his freedom taken away by measly humans. Yet again he roared and yowled, tearing down buildings, crushing anyone insight. Only later when it was all over would he feel the empty resentment of having been used. Only later when he had been torn apart, weakened, and once again sealed away.

* * *

The third time was different. He was weaker in all senses with a jailer that couldn't even feed itself. Less than a child, it was a babe that would cry and wail whilst it wasted away. Occasionally he would look at the world, thankful that he was allowed even this, and see the dreary roof of a dark room. There was no carer in sight and the child was not being fed. It would die. Knowingly, he allowed his chakra to seep out. A constant flow that maintained the body, stop the degradation, and kept the small heart beating.

Sometime later, not long enough for the child to have grown a single bit, they were moved. The next caretaker was a woman with dark hair and pale eyes. She was soft-spoken, gentle, and thankfully did her job. She reared the child comfortably, and he knew that her actions came from experience, though that did not mean he trusted her. Inside his first host he had slept endlessly, the second instance very similar, but here he stayed wide awake. Vigilant because he believed his life depended on it.

So when the woman's belly grew round with her own child, and she disappeared to never return, he was ready. When his idiotic host stepped out alone for the first time he was there watching. And when she naively ingested poison, he had been prepared. He would not allow her to die before he was free.

She did though, come close enough to death to see him. Her consciousness manifested within the seal, placing the child before the great demon. He took extreme satisfaction in watching her flinch in fear as he snapped his maw. Perhaps, he thought, if he killed her here he would be able to take over the mortal body. And with that he lunged.

His host woke screaming about a nightmare that she would not forget anytime soon. One where she had been trapped in a dark room with a vicious red monster.

The next time she almost died was when someone had the gall to throw his host off a cliff and into a coursing river. There was little he could actually do about the water that had collected in her lungs, at least in terms of not causing her pain, thankfully there was a someone nearby willing to resuscitate her. Apparently he was not the only one that wanted her to live… But he was definitely the only one that could protect his weak host.

* * *

She was trained as a shinobi, he hadn't expected otherwise, and supposedly became stronger. He doubted she could do much though, to other capable adult humans, or to beast like himself. He would've preferred to have been proven wrong instead of right, but since when did things go the way he wanted. It was beyond frustrating watching her get beaten down by those so far below himself. So he had told her then and there, in a voice she could definitely hear.

 ** _"…so weak, you really are pathetic."_** He couldn't see her but felt her shock amongst the mass of dirty emotions in the atmosphere. **_"Get up already,"_** He ordered. Only her left leg had been broken, and it was already healing, she should be able to do something as simple as stand, **_"Or_** **_do you really wish to die that badly?"_**

"Stay down, brat," A foot settled on top of them, pinning her face down onto the ground, its weight excruciating to her broken body, "We'll deal with you later." He barely looked her, never noticing the violent red aura that leaked off her body, or the once blue eyes turn red.

 ** _"Good, get angry."_** He goaded as a guttural growl escaped her throat. **_"Kill them, maim them, make them regret touching you..."_**

This was how it should've been. His host should be nothing less, should not have been harmed, and if anything, should've been worshipped. She was after all, the jailer of the great Kyuubi no Yoko. So if this was the case, why did it matter if she had a bit of blood on her hands? She simply did not understand that no matter how much she washed her hands, they would no longer be clean.

* * *

"I don't need you." Had she really just said that? Apparently over the years she had become a fearless sort of idiot. How regretful.

 ** _"You would be dead without me."_** He growled back. She had long realized that he could not physically harm her whilst behind bars, now standing confidently before him.

"Maybe," She tugged on her bright colour hair as she spoke, surely a tell of her nervousness, "But the next time I'm going to die, you should just let me. I don't need you."

 ** _"And what do you think happens to me if you die?"_** He swayed his tails lazily wondering what had brought this about. Had she realized she had tapped into his power in the last battle? Surely she knew she was outclassed without it, against that masked boy who was now dead but not by her hands…

"You die too?" She replied unsure.

 ** _"Yes, and dying is not pleasant,"_** He scoffed and turned away from her, **_"Everything I do is for my own benefit. You would do well not to delude yourself."_** Why was she still here? As far as he knew she hadn't been harmed very much.

"You know, you aren't too bad," He flicked his ears, only half interested in the nonsense she was sprouting, "Just really grumpy…though I guess anyone would be if they were stuck in a cage." Her words though harmless, could only make his fur bristle in creeping rage.

 ** _"You,"_** He hissed, **_"Do not pretend to know me, to understand the frustration of being imprisoned. If it were not for you humans I would still be free! You dare to seal a being as great as me, to use me when you wish, as if I were nothing more than a dull blade."_**

"I don't know you, but I how it feels to be lonely," She cut in loudly, brashly, "We humans are different. I had no control over your sealing other than being there so don't point your anger at me. We're stuck with each other. I won't use you, I don't want to use you, and in return do not hate me." Hate? Oh they both knew a lot about that particular emotion. Her village, the one she loved so dearly, reeked of it. All of it directed at him, at her.

 ** _"I am a monster fox,"_** He continued without any humour, **_"As an embodiment of hate, hate is all I can do."_**

"That's not true at all," She blinked her blue eyes disapprovingly at him, "I mean yeah you're a fox, and maybe a little bit monstrous, and kinda angry all the time. But you're also yourself. When you were free I doubt you were this angry. You said dying wasn't pleasant, so you must know what 'pleasant' feels like." Her reasoning was logical in a stupid way that seemed entirely too human.

* * *

Teammates he mused. His host had thought of him as a teammate, or so she had told him. She was naïve like that and he likened himself to the mercenary nin she brought back from the mission in the Land of Waves. Someone dangerous that should not be trusted. On the same note, he liked this Zabuza. He was strong, by human standards, and had lost everything, leaving his newfound devotion towards his host the only thing left. And he knew this as a certainty, his handy ability of sensing emotions would have alerted him if it wasn't true. So he decided, since his host was so confident in their own ability, so sure that he wasn't needed, that he deserved some sleep…

He was forced awake not long after by an encounter with one of his 'brothers'. Needless to say, other that healing some superficial wounds, he hadn't done a thing. His idiot brother's host being dealt with by a few pretty words. Was his host was just a smooth talker? No she was too idiotic for that.

Oh, it did seem that someone was immune to her words. Her other teammate, the human boy with those wretched eyes of his, left her as if she meant nothing. How dare he, the demon bemoaned, how dare he betray her trust. And what did his host do? She smiled like the fool she was, chasing after someone who even he could tell, did not want to be caught.

* * *

 ** _"Soon even one as great as I, will be infected by your foolishness."_** Somehow the sage currently travelling with her thought it would be a good idea for his host to learn to 'harness his power'. Had he expected a colossus internal battle? Really he just couldn't see the reason in lending over his power for something so petty.

"I haven't even said anything yet." She whined, apparently growing older only in body.

 ** _"I live inside you, and am fully aware of the situation. Unlike other's I refuse to remain ignorant."_** He huffed and laid his head on his arms, prepared to at least hear her out.

"So you'll let me borrow your power?" There he had heard her out like another intelligent being.

 ** _"No."_**

"Oh, come on!"

 ** _"Was it not you who declared not to need my power?"_** So childish, he mused as he watched her roll around unsatisfied.

"That was years ago! I can't believe you remembered that."

 ** _"When you rarely talk to others, it is easy to remember a few meagre words."_** He hadn't found anything particularly off with his sentence, but her eyes changed.

"Pervy sage said I can get here just by meditating. I'll make sure to visit more often if you're getting lonely, Kyuubi."

 ** _"I am not lonely."_** Was the stubborn reply, and somehow he felt like he'd be seeing a lot more of her anyway. **_"And my name is not Kyuubi."_**

"…So what is it?" She asked, with that infernal smile of hers.

 ** _"Kurama. A name befitting of one such as I."_** It was more than any of his other hosts had known.

"Nice to meet you, Kurama. I'm Uzumaki Naruto." Said host replied with.

 ** _"I know."_** He replied dryly. As if there was anyone who she had met that didn't know her name. **_"Though I would have thought you take your sire's name."_**

"Well I don't know who my dad is," She frowned which in turn made the room feel a little less bright, "And I'm proud to be an Uzumaki."

 ** _"You do not know?"_**

"You do?" She had a hopeful look on her face now, and he wondered if it was in his place to tell.

 ** _"Of course,"_** Or rather what was preventing him, **_"Who do you think sealed me away? You were not a random sacrifice."_**

* * *

His host was a lot of things, but a liar was not one of them. She said she would visit regularly, and even after his refusal, she did. When she told someone she'd rescue Shukaku's host, she had done so with only a few stab wounds to show. Of course he had healed them over time. And when she had made her promise to her other teammate a handful of years ago to bring back the Uchiha, she did just that. Except it hadn't come easily or without a battle, and perhaps the body she had brought back was just that. A lifeless body.

He didn't know how to feel about her new eyes either. They were still blue, she checked mirrors frequently, but before his passing the Uchiha had done something. Something that required a snake's knowledge. Something that was otherwise forbidden. Something that the fox felt, tainted her blood. And what did she gain? Those cursed and accursed eyes. He knew how he felt. He hated them.

She cried plenty for him, and even when those tears dried, his cell felt flooded and dreary. He disliked getting his fur wet. It always made him irritable…more irritable than he already was. When it lightened up he could tell that someone out there had comforted her, but he doubted that the water would ever leave.

The Uchiha's death though, was only a sign of things to come, as those around her died one by one. Such was the reality of war, and the consequence for those foolish enough to wage it. The mercenary she had spared all those years ago may have out lived death once, but only once. A friend would die, and another would follow in an attempt of vengeance. And like that he began to feel himself drowning. Her brother in all but blood killed himself and the fox's own brother, killed himself in order to buy time. In reality he had just extended the bloody war.

Had his host found even a smidgen of happiness? Yes. He remembered a single point in time, during the war that is, when his jail had been as pleasant as a spring meadow. It wasn't when she finally became Hokage, like she had continuously said she would. It wasn't when she received a small human trinket, that was apparently need proof of one's love. It was when he told her about the second heartbeat he now felt. And that joy had lasted for as long as it had beat. Truth be told, it hadn't been long at all. Not enough for her body to change, and not nearly long enough for her to ever see what would've been her child. And after? It had just gotten far worse.

* * *

"Kashi, did you see?" Naru had knelt beside him, his head propped on her lap. His face was serene and mostly unharmed whereas the rest of his body…well that was a different matter. "I avenged you and everyone else, so that you could rest peacefully…" His host was broken, unable to weep at the loss of another loved one. He was sure her mind hadn't quite understood that his closed eyes wouldn't open again.

And him? He had acquired most of his freedom back, a gracious act on her part. It didn't feel as good as he imagined though, his red eyes sweeping across the wasteland. Idly he licked his teeth, tasting the bloodied remains of his nemesis. The battle had been anything but anticlimactic, the destroyed land a testament to that fact, and yet it was an illusion that had ended the disillusioned man.

The fox turned his head to watch the girl, woman now, run her hand through matted, once-silver hair. They were the only two left. The age of ninjas was over, the chakra that usually lingered in the atmosphere practically gone. He could feel it now, the strain on his newly acquired body. When he died, which would be as soon as his host gave up, there would be no returning. And when would that happen? He'd be amazed if she held on for more than a day. In an extreme sense, maybe the corpse of her lover could keep her going until he rotted…

What a pathetic end for a being such as he...such as them. Was it fitting for the two strongest in the current world to waste away? His eyes swept over the sea of red slowly soaking further into the earth, and the carpet of fresh bodies, allies and enemies dying beside one another. No, he decided. This was not how they would end. He would not allow it.

"Kurama," Her voice was weak, hoarse with emotion, and unsteady, "Where are you going?" She looked awfully vulnerable, but currently there was nothing around them that could hurt her.

 ** _"I would like to give you something,"_** He padded forward, digging his paws into the hard ground, ** _"Give me time, kit."_** She didn't ask for how much, and before he was out of sight he knew her gaze had already returned to the lifeless body in her arms.

Seals, he thought to himself, he hated them almost as much as he hated the Sharingan. So he told himself as he dragged his rusty tail through the blood, that he was not drawing a seal, but rather performing a ritual. He worked his way inward, drawing a large intricate pattern with his host in the centre. This was one of the things the sage had left him. Out of all the things he had gifted them, and out of all his siblings, this was what he had been given. It had remained in the back of his mind, unneeded and unwanted until now, and it would have remained as such if he hadn't changed…been changed by her. Hagoromo probably left it with him knowing that it would never be used, his old self would have considered it a bother that was more trouble than it was worth. But alas, he didn't think anything of the consequences right now. He didn't want this world anymore, to exist in or to die in. This unpleasant and barren land wasn't fit for ones such as them, so he had made the simply decision to throw it away. It was unwanted, and without any of her comrades left, she would certainly agree with him.

 ** _"Kit,"_** He finished in the centre of his creations, overlapping lines weaving and crossing only to end where he stood. His host hadn't noticed at all, unsettling in her stillness. ** _"We are leaving."_**

"Sorry Kurama," Her eyes closed for a long moment, before she turned to truly look at him, "I don't think I can bring myself to move."

 ** _"That is fine,"_** He replied, eyeing her shaking hands, ** _"You do not have to. Just so long as you understand we are leaving."_**

"Ha," She let out a soft laugh, so different from the raucous sounds she made as a child, "You'll find it gets boring quickly dragging dead weight around."

 ** _"Our destination not the kind of place you get to by walking."_** The demon explained vaguely. **_"Do you trust me? Are you prepared to give up everything?"_** He asked as if she had anything left.

"Yeah, to both of those…" Was her last friend asking her to commit double suicide? At this point Naruto didn't think she would decline that offer. "What do you need me to do?" She asked in a deceptively light tone, "Just say the word, Kurama."

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading.

Afterwords are mainly for chapter summaries and any random jutsu I've put in. Considering that this is one of the only brief bits of the past I'll mention the important non-canon things (that you may not pick up cause I'm horrible but hopefully not cryptic, or didn't include) are;  
\- At 6 months Naru almost dies to the negligence of her 'carer', Hiruzen then employs Hyuga Hitomi to look after the child (who disappears after Hanabi is born).  
\- Kakashi is then hired to guard her up until she is 7 (enters the academy). After another attempt on her life he resigns and Itachi takes his place (Note CPR was a thing when she was thrown off the cliff)  
\- Age 9 Naru graduates from the Academy (first attempt). She is not given a team or a teacher and on her first mission (an obvious attempt to kill her) is ambushed by bandits. She is badly injured and kills for the first time.  
\- She is put under Kakashi's guidance (to overcome the first kill shock) and trains for the next year without any missions until the rookie 9 (now 8) graduate.  
\- In the land of the waves she meets Haku. They fight and after he is fatally wounded she takes his place blocking Kakashi's Raikiri. Zabuza lives and follows her to Konoha.  
\- Chuunin exams and aftermath is as per canon. Her journey with Jiraiya though, is only a year long.  
\- Age 16, Naruto and Sasuke (now hosting Orochimaru) battle at the Valley of the End. Sasuke transfers his bloodline to Naru before she kills him.  
\- Naruto and Kakashi become romantically involved. A year after she begins training as the Hokage candidate.  
\- Age 18, the final battle begins, between the revived Madara and the elemental nations. World domination and the creation of the Ten Tails are both possible objectives. Gaara 'willingly' dies, killing Shuubi and forcing the demon into a cycle of rebirth to prolong the end. Naru then kills Madara, and via Kurama, returns to the past.


	2. The First Ripple

**A/N** Hello.

Note that the names will be used a little bit interchangeably for a few chapters (Miyu/Naru, and Yang/Kurama).

I don't really know if this story will progress fast or slow, some parts I might be quiet brief and others I might drag out.

* * *

 **~Chapter 2 – THE FIRST RIPPLE**

 ** _"Just activate the seal."_**

When Naru's awareness returned to her, she really wished it hadn't. There was pain, a lot of pain, maybe more than she had ever felt in every inch of her body. So much that the rain hitting her body felt like thousands of piercing needles, and that the cold seeping into her body made her joints scream. But the fact she felt pain meant she was alive, even if it felt like Kurama had chewed up her poor body before spitting it back out. She was alive, her mind registered, and just that fact made her heart hurt more than the slowly numbing pain of her body. Was she alone again? The mere thought scared her more than she expected.

"Ku-" Her voice sounded horrible even to her muted ears as she tried and failed to gasp out the name.

"Is that a fox?" A distant voice called out, barely audible in the thrumming rain.

"Yeah, it keeps looking at us…" Another called. Or maybe it was the same voice? It was surprisingly hard for her to tell.

"Guys, hear me out-"

"We don't have time to stalk feral animals."

"But-"

"No buts," Their muffled conversation dulled to a murmur and if it weren't for the sharp barking of a fox, she was sure they would have just left.

"Maybe we should just see what it wants?"

"Not you too...Alright fine, stop looking at me like that and go follow the stupid animal."

 ** _"I am getting rather tired of being insulted-"_** Her body relaxed at the familiar voice.

"It's talking. I'm not going crazy am I? That fox is really talking."

"It could be a summon?"

 ** _"Will you cease your useless chatter and follow me,"_** He snapped, angry as always, ** _"I thought perhaps your group would be above letting an innocent child die."_**

"A child?" Naru heard the approaching footsteps as well as the sharp gasps and inhales. What had Kurama done now? She couldn't remember a thing after activating the seal.

"She's alive," A soft voice said as the rain seemed to stop. She could feel bony arms try and move her, and it hurt, but she didn't think it was possible to not hurt at this point. She felt a little warmer though, and slowly opened her eyes. It was still raining she noted, she just had a little cover with someone leaning over her. Red, his hair was bright red and familiar, and the single eye she could see was impossible not to recognize. Hypnotizing rings on pale purple, an eye of a ninja that had long passed away. "Her eyes…"

"…Naga-to?"

* * *

The first instance had been out of the ordinary, but the second was as normal as it could be. For someone like her, waking up in a hospital was part of her usual routine. She hated the smell of antiseptic and the boring colour scheme, but it still made her feel at ease.

"Say something already," It took a second to realize the order was not directed at her, "I heard you speak, so don't clam up now! What are you? A summon?" He was greeted with silence, and it was almost funny.

 ** _"Good morning kit."_** Kurama shifted and she identified him as the warm presence lying next to her.

"And it speaks!" A loud voice exclaimed in exasperation, "I take it this means your awake, girl?" Her eyelids fluttered and she focused her gaze first on the ceiling before slowly turning to the side.

"…Pein?" Her voice was still hoarse, but noticeable better. She was either healing slower than usual, or had taken more damage than she realized. This information was trivial though, as she turned to face another ghost of the past.

"Pain? Where does it hurt?" There was too much concern in his eyes, "Can you tell me your name?" She was almost indignant that he had forgotten her. This Nagato/Pein, whoever he was. Who had apparently survived though she was sure she had seen him die.

 ** _"Her name is Miyu,"_** Kurama intoned in a voice that would not be disregarded, ** _"We were caught in the war and now her village is gone."_**

"A whole village?" He uttered quietly as shock painted his face, "I'm sorry for your loss Miyu, but know that I will do whatever I can to help you from now on." Even if he was some sort of zombie, Naru still thought he was being incredibly nice. She nodded and closed her eyes, feigning sleep until he finally left.

"What have you done Kurama?" She asked in a soft whisper. It was raining outside, and the view from her window looked suspiciously like a certain grey village.

 ** _"We have gone into the past."_** There was no humour in his tone, not that the fox was one to joke or lie. And what a beautiful lie it would be. **_"It is no illusion, only the truth."_**

"But…" She looked down at the small, bandaged hands in her lap, only now realizing how different they were from what she remembered, "What happened to my body?"

 ** _"It has reverted in a sense,"_** The chakra demon explained, **_"For the amount of time we have travelled, your body's physical age has decreased by half the amount. You said you were prepared to give up everything, and the only thing you had left was yourself and your future."_**

She spotted a small mirror beside her and brought it up to examine her face. Blond hair, blue eyes and whisker like marks, those were the same as far as she could tell under the bandages. But there was also something off with her appearance. Her nose happened to look a fraction less broad, and her eyes slightly more narrow. Small things about the settling of her bones and features that she wouldn't have noticed if she weren't searching for them.

 ** _"Two of the same thing cannot exist in the same time, so you have been altered. You may have the blood of Namikaze and that of Uzumaki, but you are no longer Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki._** ** _He_** ** _happened to leave his blood with you, so the process simply made it a majority,"_** The fox sat up, scrutinizing her with a tilted head, **_"It was possible you would have gained the Uzumaki clan's dominant traits such as your mother's hair colour, but it simply wasn't favoured. Instead, you would not be entirely incorrect if you were to start calling yourself an Uchiha."_**

"This isn't even funny," She uttered, "Not one bit." She tossed the mirror aside, giving up on searching for her old reflection, a loud clatter ringing out as the glass itself cracked harshly. "My friends, my family-"

 ** _"Were already gone,"_** The fox interrupted, **_"They had all already died."_**

"Their sacrifices-"

 ** _"Were in vain from the beginning of that war,"_** He rumbled with a swish of his single tail, **_"You can change it all. Everything that brings you sadness, you can stop it before it even happens."_**

"That's…I can't…" Her future had never felt so daunting before. Not when her village hated her, not when her best friend stabbed her through the heart, not when the fourth war was brooding on the horizon. Now, she had to do it all over again? Watching those important to her, without a single memory of her, die all over again.

 ** _"You can, but if you will not, then I will allow you a final reprieve,"_** He stalked closer to her, his striking red eyes level with her dim blue ones, **_"I can erase your memories if you wish. You can forget everything, and maybe you would be happier. I will stay by your side until the end if this is what you pick. And I will protect you when you lose your ability to do so yourself. Now chose… What will you do?"_**

"Kurama." there was tenderness in her voice, and carefully she reached up to weave a hand in his fur as his words sunk into her heart. How nice it would be to simply forget…but she couldn't quite do that. She couldn't, no matter how painful it would become, throw away the last thing she had of herself. "I will try…" The fox apprised her aloofly. His host was not one to lie, but her words lacked the heart and belief she used to lark on about. Oh well, perhaps it would come back to her in time…or maybe she was just broken?

* * *

"Ano," Her visitor knocked politely, waited a moment, and then entered, "I see your awake."

"Yes," She nodded politely, still struggling with that fact that the person before was alive, "Thank you for saving me." She smiled, aware it was more than a little empty, and was given a small quirk of lips in return.

"The war is harsh on everyone, especially here as this village is right in the middle of all the fighting," He walked over and sat on a nearby chair, "It was the least we could do." He was still pale, but not unnaturally so, his colouring somewhat vibrant in the dreary room. He wasn't happy, not with the current level of bloodshed, but he wasn't despairing over the deaths of his friend…yet.

 ** _"The least you could do would be to leave her there,"_** The fox intoned monotonously, **_"So I must thank you for taking care of her."_**

"Ah, then I guess you're welcome." He shifted under their gazes, somewhat uncomfortable with the attention. "So I heard from Yahiko your name was Miyu, but he couldn't find a single thing out about your fox."

"He is as much 'my fox' as I am 'his human'," Naru, Miyu now she told herself, admitted, "He's like a ninken."

"And his name?" Indeed, what was his name? Were they still safe with 'Kurama'? Yes… no?

"Yang." She told him thinking that at least this statement was true. She wasn't the best liar, so sticking to the truth was safer. He nodded to himself, wondering if she, like them and many other residents of Ame, lacked a last name. Just another question added to the list.

"Miyu, have we met before?" He couldn't remember exactly but… "You seemed to call my name when you collapsed earlier."

"Did I?" Neither of them were completely certain at this point, "I mean, I don't know even your name right now…"

"Oh, I just assumed…" He cleared his throat, "Nagato, that's my name, you've already met Yahiko and I'll have to remember to point Konan out to you later."

"Nagato." She repeated as if testing it out. Did she feign even more ignorance? Lie and say she knew someone with the same name? "Thank you again for rescuing me," She was just going to ignore it until directly asked, "Please allow me to repay you somehow."

"That's fine," Nagato stated hastily as she bowed her head low, "We did it because we wanted to, not because we wanted something from you."

"Still, I promise to return the favour."

* * *

They had saved her so she would save them. That seemed like a fair trade, and maybe they could help her return to Konoha. Her body was still in a bad condition, especially if she was going to be confronting Hanzo the Salamander and his small army of Root ninja. She would yet again have to rely on Kurama.

Naru closed her eyes, tapping into the flow of chakra from her seal. The modification she had made that allowed Kurama to roam the overworld still held in place, and through it she was able to peer through the fox's eyes. Currently he was lurking in the thick undergrowth, silently hidden from view in the dense leaves.

She knew the story, and how it was supposed to end, so finding the steep cliff of the soon to be battlefield was imperative. Kurama was there now, and through him Naru was able to assess the enemy.

One hostage, one ninja of approximately Hokage levels of strength, and roughly a hundred well trained ninja. It was nothing the great Kyuubi no Kitsune couldn't handle. He felt the earth under his paws and grinned the best a fox could. With one soundless step he pushed his energy into the earth, and like always, it responded to him with bravado. The stable ridge that had lasted for thousands of years, and the mountain face that had been carved oh so delicately by nature, crumbled as if it were nothing more than loose rubble.

Everything in that moment fell to chaos. The girl he was supposed to save, knew an opportunity when she saw one, instantly putting as much distance as she could between herself and the falling troops. Wings of paper extended from her, frail but enough to glide her over to her two friends. With the three of them confirmed out of danger, the demon fox himself dived off the edge. His body trembled as it grew to a monstrous size, not nearly as big as he had once been, but still grand enough to trample on a few unlucky ninja that failed to clear his landing. He let out a bellowing roar that shook the earth and froze all that saw him in their tracks, and then inhaling a gust of air, he leaned over and set everything ablaze.

He thrived in the chaos like a true demon, his tails lashing out at anything and everything around him. And his target, one considered to be legendary, could only stare in shock. By the time Hanzo had gathered his wits and called forth his summons, his army was all but gone. It proved more difficult than expected, to train a human out of instinctive fear.

 _"You're enjoying this."_ The calm voice rang through his head like bells, clear and far above the screams and shouts. He didn't deem the comment worthy of an answer and he knew that the asker hadn't expected one. He loomed over his target, a low, jumpy hiss escaping his maw. He was so pitiful, the situation so amusing, that he couldn't help but laugh. These bodies were just the beginning as they prepared to pave their way forward.

* * *

Kurama returned first, smelling of ash, blood and poison. His fur wasn't its usual state of pristine, so he clambered onto the bed and allowed her to fuss over him. Not far behind him were the three Ame leaders, looking equal parts of worn and cautious. Other than that, they held their emotions well.

"Miyu, you…" Yahiko struggled with his words, scrunching his face awkwardly in his thoughts.

"Thank you, for your help." The sincerity was there in Konan's words, in her eyes as well, despite the tenseness in her body. In the first place if they had bad intentions Kurama would've let her know… would have never let them survive.

"You're welcome." She smiled, just a small tilt of her lips that felt mismatched with her current appearance.

"So…" The conversation felt more than a little stagnant, but it was nice to see someone putting an effort in, "Can all foxes do that? The whole, giant, fire-breathing, man-eating-"

"Yahiko," Nagato cut off his friend's beginning ramblings. In the first place they all expected that this strange girl would be keeping most of her secrets to herself.

"Right," The de facto leader of the three cleared his throat, "Is there anything we can do to repay you? I don't know if you sent him or if he just showed up on a whim, but I think things might've ended badly for us if your fox hadn't shown up to the battlefield." The longer she looked at the three of them the lighter her heart seemed to feel. Could this one change have already done enough? Just by them being alive, by taking away the poster boy for Akatsuki, she could start to see a small glimmer of hope. Kurama smirked at her knowingly. Yang, she reminded herself, and she was now Miyu.

"Even is even," She said she would repay them and now she had, "But if you could, I need to get to Konohagakure."

"Konoha?" the red head furrowed his brow, "I've seen eyes like yours before, do you have business with the Uchiha?" She shrugged, slightly uncomfortable of the fact her eyes had been revealed the moment she arrived in this time.

"We're not allied with them, and in the middle of this war, it won't be easy," Konan explained slowly, "But I hear that they value bloodlines so they might hear us out."

* * *

"They've sent someone to pick you up," Nagato explained as he carefully peeled an apple for her, "We're not sure whether this is because they want to assess the danger, or because they truly value their bloodlines that much." She was still bed ridden, her body healing far slower than usual, though notably faster than a normal human.

"Thank you." She said, for both their help and the piece of fruit he was handing her. The red-head ninja was surprisingly motherly, both with his care and concern of her.

"Are you sure we haven't met before?" He asked again, as his brow furrowed.

"You should really save you pick up lines for girls more around your age," Miyu replied whilst chomping down on the apple slice. They were especially sweet in Ame, "I think on our first meeting I confused you with someone I used to know." Nagato happily ignored the first sentence, and simply smiled whilst watching the younger girl stuff her cheeks. Though she spoke coolly, she ate like a small animal.

"What was your village like? Before the war that is." Was it insensitive for him to ask?

"…It was normal," She replied quietly, staring down at her lap, "There were good people, there were bad people, people that hated me, people that liked me. It was my home." That was surprisingly a description that Nagato could understand well. He was an orphan, and had experienced living on the streets with nothing but the clothes on his back and his friends. And now? Now he was fighting his hardest to protect this country simply because it was their home.

"If the envoy arrives by the end of the week do you think you'll be able to travel?" Her body was still heavily bandaged, but by now they were all aware of her increased healing.

"A week is plenty of time," She tested the movement of her hand, still feeling the strain on her shoulder, "Though I doubt I'll have that long."

"Konoha values the Sharingan that much?" Nagato wondered. They seemed the complete opposite of Kirigakure in that sense.

"That's partly the reason," Miyu glanced at the window, noting the rain hadn't let up one bit, "It is a village secret after all, and something they would panic over if an enemy got a hold of it." It, it, it… Her eyes didn't really feel like her own when she talked like this.

"Well if things turn out badly, know that you're welcome here in Amegakure."

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading :)

This is a speedy clearance of Amegakure, and without much chance of really knowing him, I'm just going to believe that Yahiko had a similar personality to canon Naruto (a little less naive but still the type to believe in people)

Jutsu;

 **Name:** Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Shuuseihan (Summoning Jutsu – Revised)  
 **Classification:** Ninjutsu, Space-Time Ninjutsu **  
Rank:** S-rank **  
Class:** Supplementary  
 **Range: -  
Summary: **Created and used by Naru to summon the Kyuubi from inside the seal. Its effect is permanent and brings the Bijuu into the outside world. The jinchuriki is still largely linked to the beast and is able to restrain and limit its power, though the tailed beast may now wander around freely and independently. The ranking of the jutsu was given due to the amount of chakra needed and the fact that the user must be a jinchuriki (i.e. the selectiveness and thus rarity of it rather than actual difficulty).


	3. A Snake Without Venom

**A/N** Hello,

I've been thinking a lot about the characters of Naruto, as well as how far a single action could translate to later details. Such as the rescue of the Ame Trio.

I think I'll mostly write with feel, no one is completely good or bad, so I hope this gives you moments when bad guys don't seem so bad and good guys don't seem so good.

Next chapter will be the integration into Konoha, so here is Miyu making her merry way along.

* * *

 **~Chapter 3 – A SNAKE WITHOUT VENOM**

The ninja from Konoha arrived two days after the message had been sent. He smelt of snakes, of poison and of death. Hatefully familiar, it made her blood boil uncontrollably even before he had entered her room. Kurama had defeated Hanzo alone, a man who had in turn defeated all three Sannin, so she was sure together they could bring mostly anyone down. From the moment the scent hit his, and thus her nose, plans were already being made with only murder as the intent. The tension that began as he entered the rainy village, simply grew and grew to the point she thought she would burst. And then he stepped through the door and all those emotions swirling in her seemed to diminish. Not disappear, she didn't think they ever would, but faded till the point it was no longer blinding.

"Is this the girl?" She heard him ask Yahiko as they entered the hospital room, "She's younger than I expected."

"Yes," They walked forward with unhurried steps until they were both within arm distance, "Orochimaru, this is Miyu and her fox Yang, Miyu this is Orochimaru a renowned ninja from Konoha."

"You flatter me Yahiko," The corner of his lips turned upwards, and no matter how fake it was, she could not say it wasn't a smile, "It is nice to meet you."

"Same here." She tilted her head in acknowledgement, her eyes never leaving the potential threat.

"Now I hate to ask, seeing as you look quite injured," It was a lie, but at least he was playing nice, "Can I see your eyes?" He tapped his temple twice, "Unless you are unable to call them up." Miyu paused and thought. Deciding to see how he would react, she let her chakra flow into her eyes, never even feeling the blue bleed to red.

"Hmm." Yahiko let out an impressed sound as three black tomoe took their place in each eye. And yet, those weren't quite the eyes he remembered when they first saw her. She blinked and then it was gone, her eyes returning to a colour that mimicked the ocean.

"I've confirmed the Sharingan, so I'll be taking her to Konohagakure," He told the Ame leader who in turn let out a small sigh.

"Ah, Nagato will be lonely."

* * *

They spent one more night in Ame before they left. There was no fanfare or any teary goodbyes, they simply ambled out just as the sun breached the horizon.

"Are you able to walk?" The snake Sannin eyed her up and down. He hadn't seen the extent of damage that had been done to her body, but the numerous bandages under her clothes spoke volumes.

"Yes, thanks for asking." She replied, wrapping the cloak Konan had gifted her, tighter around her shoulders. Her body was small enough right now for Kurama to give her a ride if things got particularly bad.

"I see." The silence was heavy and she didn't quite know how to break it, or if she even wanted to. Instead her mind was plagued with loud thoughts. What had this Orochimaru done already and what hadn't he? Was he good right now? And if so, what was his tipping point? With a glance he seemed healthier to his future counterpart. Not as thin or pale, his hair a couple inches shorter, no longer hanging at his waist. Maybe it was due to the absence of a sneer, but even his face seemed different. Youthful for one, naturally rather than the odd agelessness that clung to him before, with a delicate sort of structure that belonged entirely to him and hadn't been pilfered from another's body.

"It's impolite to stare." He noted, glancing at her with his unusual, slitted, amber eyes.

"Y'know," And even with Kurama's warning nudges she couldn't stop the words that tumbled out, "You're better looking than I expected." She slammed her mouth shut as if to stop any other leaking words, while they both adopted a look of shock, his indefinitely more amused.

"I'm flattered," He replied with a smug look, "Even if it's coming from a child." Miyu scoffed quietly, she had great taste in men. And then she thought that he didn't come off as creepy as expected in his answer. Not yet the kind of ninja that lured away young children…. Or maybe it was because she was a girl and not a boy. She held her tongue until night settled, camping inevitable in her weakened state. Surprisingly he had understood this, and without a word from her, set to preparing their meagre base.

'I can still walk', she wanted to say, but then the more sensible part of her mind kicked in. Her body wouldn't last until Konoha, and it was better they set up early then be forced to stop as darkness settled. Kurama had left to hunt, and despite his absence, Miyu felt some of the tenseness in her shoulders leave. She could summon him back if really needed, but the fact he had left meant there were no nearby threats, and that Orochimaru had little ill intent directed at her. "Ne," He tossed her a ration pack, bland and unchanged through the years, "What is Konoha like?" She threw the question out there, tearing open the packeted cardboard with practised ease. Maybe she could gain some insight on the man who had played the villain for all her life. Her previous life that is.

"It is the same as any other hidden village except buried within a forest." He stated dryly. He tended to the small fire with a bored expression, settling back on the heels of his feet with a contemplative look.

"Do you like it?" She continued, as Kurama returned, dropping a pair of dead hares between them.

"How convenient." He mused as they both began the process of skinning the animals. The knife she received from Nagato was sharp, a fact that only enhanced her skill. "You're quite good at this." The Sannin complemented as he skewered the meat crudely on some sticks. What a luxury, he thought to himself as it cooked.

"You didn't answer my question." Miyu pressed, somehow feeling detached from the whole experience. Here she was sitting across the man who had taken away her best friend, her rival…no that wasn't true. She had been the one that killed that night.

"What a tedious conversation," He muttered, not particularly quiet or loud, "I thought you were basically mute, but it turns out you're the nosey type." He levelled her with a stare, but was the first to turn away, as if he couldn't even muster the effort. "Get some sleep, I want to leave before dawn."

 ** _I will keep watch_** , Kurama told her within the secrecy of their shared mind. **_Your body needs sufficient rest if you wish heal faster._** The blonde nodded, gingerly settling herself on a meagre bedding of leaves. The stars were as bright as always, unchanging and unmoved, even by the flow of time.

* * *

Miyu was nudged awake by her partner just as the horizon was beginning to lighten. Their camp was already cleaned up as if it hadn't been there, her guide idly standing to the side. Had he even slept? The fox silently shook his head in answer. Unexpectedly, her legs locked the moment she tried to get up, sending her right back to the ground. Her body hadn't been happy with her sleeping place, even if it should've been used to it now, an ache she couldn't accurately place resounding through her body.

"I didn't think you would clumsy either." He walked over and helped her up with a sigh. Whether out of annoyance or something else she didn't know, but the fact was that he freely offered her his hand when didn't have to, stuck her deeply. "Just a couple of scrapes-" He halted before pulling her hand, palm stretched upwards, closer to him in an almost painful, jerky fashion. She saw the fascination in his eyes that reminded her of what he could become, as he watched the wound heal. For something as small as a graze it took only a brief few seconds before the damage became untraceable.

"Thank you." She stated in a chipped tone, yanking her arm back with mindful force and allowing Kurama to step between them. Orochimaru composed himself, and if he had been amused that they treated him as a threat, he didn't show it besides a small smile. A smile that could have been from hundreds of other things that happened upon his thoughts.

"I didn't realize this is what Yahiko meant when he described you as a fast healer," He mused aloud, as they restarted their trek to his village, "And yet…" Those gold eyes were dangerously blank as he examined her body, this time more carefully considering the extent she had been hurt. Devastating burns, deep gashes, shattered bones, missing parts. What was the threshold?

"…Death." It was easy to see what he was thinking about, his obsession as real here as it was there. "A handy ability for a ninja." He looked at her differently after she spoke, a mixture of wonder and want, and a fraction of pity. The combination unnerved her, and she still wasn't particularly confident about her role here.

"A ninja, is that what you consider yourself?" She nodded and he hummed in intrigue, "You're obviously not from Konoha, so I have to wonder if anyone told you about those eyes of yours."

"The Sharingan," She echoed, struggling to find the words she wanted, "It…sees a lot." Miyu wasn't just stating the obvious here and didn't quite know what the Sannin had drawn from her words. She wondered to herself if feeding the snake could keep him content.

 ** _Human greed is worth more than that_**. Kurama told her sombrely, discouraging an idea he honestly thought was ridiculous. Hadn't she learnt before that if she gave and gave and gave, she would have nothing left for herself?

"It's a shame that I wasn't born an Uchiha." Orochimaru sighed wistfully.

* * *

The fourth day of their journey brought them past the halfway point, leaving them closer to Konoha than Amegakure. It was surprisingly eventful as they happened across a group of enemy nin resting by a distant branch of the Nara River. She didn't see what village they were from or what nation they represented, and left them mostly to the Sannin to take care of. She helped of course, as much as her body allowed, not that he needed it. It was over long before he dragged them off into the forest, sparing her the sight of their interrogation, though Kurama was able to hear it all. Somehow she thought Orochimaru allowed that purposely.

"What was the jutsu you used this afternoon?" He asked casually. She had to think hard to remember the time of her first kill and the distress it wrought. Now though, Miyu was able to watch it all impassively, "I've never seen it before. Did you copy it from another ninja? Or maybe it come from your village?"

"That?" She dragged the memory back up. "Suiton – Mizu Muchi," She explained, "I think it was one the first jutsu I made. Not very imaginative, or interesting, or strong… Unless you're near water." Like they had been that morning and like they were now, walking along beside the winding river. She kicked a small stone in a childlike fashion, feeling better than she had in days despite all the commotion. He replied with unusual silence, so she turned to see if there was something wrong. There was that 'something' in his gaze again.

"Creating jutsu is definitely not as easy as you make it sound," He mentioned with a tilt of his lips, "Are you some kind of monster?" His tone was somewhat light but whether or not he was joking was unclear.

"I'm as human as you," Miyu told him with a frown, as the air between them shifted, "I hope that doesn't make us both monsters." They shared a look but his smile never faltered, hiding all of his thoughts and intents.

"What I wouldn't give to see the inside of your mind." He mumbled under his breath and she couldn't help but feel the same. She almost missed the psychotic version of him that was obsessively searching for immortality. 'His' motives were obvious enough, and the Orochimaru here that had retained his undisturbed mind, intimidated her. "Explain to me," He said a bit more loudly, "How it works."

Miyu had half a mind to deny his request. She had all but given up trying to gauge his reactions and response. "You use your chakra to manipulate water," She began slowly, "You can create it yourself, but it is easier if there is already a source to draw from. To maintain it requires a constant flow of chakra, length and width of it depends on the amount you use and your control. Too much chakra and not enough control gives you a slab that won't move easily or a thin tendril that cannot maintain itself among other failures." Her hands moved animatedly, making wave like motion to mimic the movement of water, "And that's just for the formation. For movement you need to apply pulses of chakra that carries the force from your body to the ends of the whip. Not enough control here and, poof," she clenched her fists in front of her before flicking her fingers out dramatically, "It explodes half way. It also helps if you're familiar with the weapon…" She scrunched her face up in thought. That was an awful lot to worry about for a jutsu of that calibre. Reweighing the difficulty as well the practicality she was beginning to think that just carrying around a whip would be better. What had she been thinking when she made this?

 ** _Not much._** Kurama jabbed lightly. Miyu huffed at the fox and turned towards the other shinobi, ready for his response. She waited for about ten steps until she realised he wasn't going to speak anytime soon, his eyes looking a little distant.

The next time they encountered an enemy was when Orochimaru decided to test his knowledge, almost flawlessly using her jutsu to knock around their opponent. He seemed quite pleased with himself and watching him pull it off on his first try amazed her. How long had it taken her to create and master it herself? Miyu sighed to herself, he really was a monster.

* * *

The snake Sannin considered once again, the pros and cons of not bring her to the village… of stealing her away and finally running all the experiments he had been itching for. He thought about it a handful of times when he had first seen her wield those sought-after eyes, helpless, unknown and likely to be unmissed. Obviously, the fact she was still here said a lot about his restraint. Especially after witnessing her healing prowess, or more accurately, her regeneration ability. For all those who wished for an immortal body, her blood could have been the answer, the final piece in the age-old, convoluted puzzle. To Orochimaru though, this would be a means to an end, just a stepping stone for his real goal.

He wanted everything, in mind, body and soul. He wanted longevity because that would let him consume as much knowledge as he wanted, to endlessly master and create jutsu. He wanted to find his limits, and conversely to discover that no such limits existed. Immortality would have been the perfect tool to attaining this boundless form. Yet here she was, still alive and untouched, and the both of them still on their way back to his village. Once they reached Konoha, she would mostly be out of his grasp. She had the Sharingan which was more than a commodity in Konoha, and would not be allowed to disappear like the countless street urchins he had taken prior.

Just a few more days, he pondered, just a few more days before she'd be taken away from him.

"Miyu." The girl stopped walking, taking a look over her shoulder at him. She walked with her back to him but it couldn't be considered trust when her fox was alert at his heels. The Sannin also never found it worth mentioning that she had led the way to Konoha easily and confidently, even though the dense forest and her assumed lack of knowledge should have prevented that.

"Yes?" She looked at him with those clear blue eyes that seemed too reflect more than just his image. Blonde and blue-eyed, she could've been related to a certain ninja in their village, but the difference between them was like night and day. There was no spark in hers, not of ambition nor delight, it remained like still water. She smiled and he recognized it for what it was, a tilt of the lips, movement of muscles, with no extra meaning behind it.

There was a lot that he wanted to ask… so much he wanted to pull from her mind. Her answers if she did choose to answer, were usually far beyond her years, and Orochimaru wasn't sure if he could fully blame the mental aging on the war. What did she think about life and death? What had her village been like? What other jutsu did she know? Miyu was still watching him, waiting for him to speak, yet he couldn't decide what exactly he wanted from her. "Is there anything you want when we reach Konoha?" He found himself asking. She blinked in confusion, and stayed silent for a long time. Her fox huffed behind the Sannin, and he had to wonder if he was missing something.

"…ramen…"

"…?" Had he misheard that?

"I'd like some ramen." She said a bit louder. Her face heating up in embarrassment as she glared at him. Oh no, behind him he realised, at her partner.

* * *

"Is everything ok?" Their pace had slowed considerably as they neared the village, and she went from leading back to trailing behind him. She hadn't been particularly boisterous with him, but it was definitely off seeing her so subdued.

"Are you worried about me?" The kid had the gall to mock him, though her empty sounding tone only added to his concerns.

"Well, part of this escort mission is to ensure your wellbeing." The Sannin replied.

"Most of my body has healed," She pushed up her left sleeve, examining her bandage-free arm. There were scars now. Small slivers of pale, discoloured lines that crisscrossed her whole body and oddly shaped marks that were more reminiscent of punctures. The worst of her injuries had been on her torso, large, familiar marks that decorated her front and back in matching positions. They had been on her old body as well, the only scars that bloomed even with the increased healing back then. And with these marks, she came to understand a bit more of the jutsu Kurama had used. When her body had reverted, it had gone and collected all of the injuries she had acquired, adding them to the already high toll she had to pay. The pain might have faded, but she wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon with these new 'reminders'.

She looked up to meet his searching gaze. Just like Orochimaru hadn't quite decided what to do with her, she still wasn't sure how to deal with him. "How about you?" She asked as they came across a worn footpath to the village, "What are you going to do when we reach Konoha?"

"I'm going to be Hokage," He told her instantly, without a second of hesitation, "You know what that is right?" She nodded in both shock and disbelief. Miyu had never heard of something like this in her old timeline. Since when had Orochimaru gone after a title like that.

"You mean you want to become the village leader," She stopped walking, "Why?"

"Why? Why not?" The Sannin answered, "It is the single position That is given the most respect, authority, and power. My sensei is the current Sandaime Hokage, but he is getting to a point where he should retire. If the Hokage before him was his teacher, then it makes sense that the one after should be his student."

"That's it?" His words sounded logical, but to here they made little sense.

"I believe that I am the one who deserves the position of successor the most," His eyes narrowed at her tone, "As one of the strongest ninja in the village, very few could argue with that."

"Is strength-, It's not-, My…" Kurama nudged her and she took a moment to just breathe, "Our village leader was strong, one of the strongest and on par with your Kage. He was kind but that kindness was his downfall. It led him to death, and the village to despair but I'll never blame him for it, because he gave his everything to the village, his life and then some," Miyu gave him a long look, "Can you do that?"

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading again

Ok, he's not good, no where near. And my Orochimaru at the moment is already shin deep in human experimentation (not neck deep though), so I was wondering how I could take him around on a redeemable path. It struck me that he might turn out not soo bad after seeing him in the canon epilogue and such. So let's give this a try... still a chance he'll turn out absolutely devious (after all, how much of an effect could a child have a grown adult haha..hah)

Jutsu;

 **Name:** Suiton – Mizu Muchi (Water Whip)  
 **Classification:** Ninjutsu  
 **Rank:** C  
 **Class:** Offensive  
 **Range:** Mid-Range  
 **Summary:** The user collects water from a nearby source stretching it out into a thin tendril and lashing it at the opponent. It remains much harder to constantly use a single 'whip' so generally it is better preformed near a large source of water where multiple tendrils can be formed one after another. An old jutsu that was later refined into Suiton – Nejibana, its successor.


	4. Village of Strangers

**A/N** Heyo

Lo' and behold, we're in Konoha now :)

I'm still kinda falaffaling around so bear with me

Anyway I am of the belief that Orochimaru hadn't hit the tipping point till Minato was named next Hokage. Before that he was the same guy who had felt empathy from Tsunade's loss, and I hope had enough left in him to feel pity towards others.

But this is part one of her integration, where it's likely the next chapter we have her meet more people.

* * *

 **~Chapter 4 – THE VILLAGE OF STRANGERS**

Miyu wore a complicated expression as Konohagakure came into sight. The looming walls that stretched beyond into the forest kept most things out of site, except for the distant red tower and the carved mountain side. A bright red beacon and three watchful gazes, something that should have been familiar, felt off to her. They all but bypassed the guards, Orochimaru leading her in far too confidently to be an imposter. He hadn't been in the mood to talk since their last conversation, the reason why remaining unclear. She didn't mind, after all Miyu didn't think she would be able to speak right now.

 ** _You look like you are about to cry._** Kurama padded, by her side, largely unaffected by the effects of time travel. It was nice though, for him to see the land a little more untouched, and those age old mountains still standing tall.

The blonde tried to reel in her emotions, turning her eyes to the Sannin's back. They wanted to stray, to stare at the bustling people, at the tidy buildings and even the grass along the street, but at this moment she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it at all. She was on the edge right now, and seeing a familiar face might just push her over it. Miyu wasn't fond of the idea of breaking down in the middle of the road, so she kept her eyes on the green vest he wore. She'd be seeing a dead man soon enough, and needed the time to collect her mind.

 _I feel like crying,_ she told her partner as she ran her hand through his coarse fur. _Just this is enough. The village…is here, it's still standing._

 ** _And all you have to do is make sure to keep it that way, if that is what you want._** She looked at him weirdly, of course that was what she wanted.

"Orochimaru-san," The tower attendant nodded at him respectfully, and she realised they had already arrived while she wasted time pondering the fox's words, "Hokage-sama is waiting for you and your report."

The stairs leading up had never seemed more daunting.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, child, though I wish the circumstances could have been better," The old man greeted her warmly, still smiling with the kindness she remembered, "I am Sarutobi Hiruzen, the leader of this village. May I know your name?"

"Miyu." The blonde was proud her voice remained firm, even though her heart trembled. How many years had it been since she had seen him? Only six, and it felt far too long, it hadn't even been the war that had taken him. She glanced to the side where Orochimaru stood boredly.

"Just Miyu?" The Hokage asked. She nodded.

"Just Miyu, and this is Yang." She brought the attention to Kurama and there were no adverse effects or reactions. This Konoha had yet to feel the Kyuubi's wrath.

"Well then Miyu-chan, can I ask you to tell me about yourself?" He folded his hands atop the table, they were far less wrinkled than the hands she was used to. And it made sense, because this wasn't her Jiji. "I have a scroll from Ame, but it's only given me the briefest details. Can you tell me what happened, and why you've come to Konoha?" She nodded, wringing her hands as she met her eyes.

"Yang and I are from a village near Ishigakure and Amegakure," It would've been right in the middle of the current warzone, and she silently praised Kurama for his choice, "We were small, unknown and unnamed, with people from all over the place. My eyes are from my father," and that statement was more or less true, "And he was from Konoha." Another truth.

"A village of deserters then?" Orochimaru mused, "What was his name?" She shook her head.

"Otou-san was Otou-san," She answered with shrug, "And to everyone else he was an Uchiha."

"You never heard anyone call his name once?" He asked in disbelief, "Not even by your mother."

"She died at childbirth." The image of a nameless Uchiha hung in the air. There would have been plenty of shinobi labelled MIA or mistakenly KIA, and just the same there were those who would have run away from the war. None of this was unbelievable. "After our home fell I wanted to see for my own eyes, the village that he loved."

"Loved? Not enough to return though I suppose." The Hokage shot his student a light glare at the muttered words. She wasn't familiar at all with the expression, and wondered when the old man had lost it.

"And what do you think about it so far?" He asked kindly.

"I-," _I hate it, this place that looks so much like my Konoha, where all I see are strangers,_ "I-I think it's beautiful." Miyu choked out. The words themselves that tumbled out of her mouth were followed by a silent trickle of tears. Instead of just looking at the Hokage, she finally started to see the old man before her. Strong, healthy, alive.

 ** _Kit…_**

"S-sorry," She stuttered out, rubbing her eyes furiously, "I don't know why, but they just won't stop." She tried to laugh it off, but even that sounded weak to her ears.

"You're a mess," A plain white cloth was dangled in front of her face, the owner of it someone she would have never expected, "Here take this."

"Ah, thank you," It was surreal accepting Orochimaru's handkerchief, but such was the current reality, "You really aren't such a bad guy." The Sannin scoffed and turned away, never seeing the smile of his teacher.

"So Miyu-chan," Sarutobi Hiruzen's gravelly voice spoke up after she had regained her composure, "What is it you want to do?"

* * *

She was put on probation as expected. Even if she was a young, weak-looking girl, the village couldn't be careless in times of war. She could have been a spy, or a highly-trained enemy-nin, it was lucky that the Hokage had allowed her an audience to begin with. She probably had her eyes to thank, and surprisingly Orochimaru's small bit of endorsement. The snake Sannin had done no bad by her yet so she resolved to step back a bit, and observe him more objectively.

 ** _You will have more than enough time for that,_** Kurama intoned as he padded beside her.

"I'll tell you now that you'll be cleaning up any shed fur," She was once again following the Sannin who happened to be in charge of her current accommodation. Sure the Hokage could've shipped her off to a handful of other people, but Orochimaru had freely offered himself. He was confusing her again, not that he had ever really stopped, but Miyu felt his motives fall to the back of her mind. There were a lot of things for her to worry about now, and if the snake would play nice, then she would take it at face value.

"Hai, hai." She chimed off.

"Just once is enough." The Sannin snapped without any actual bite to his words. He was leading her through the crowded streets, occasionally turning off into quiet shortcuts before re-joining the main road. They went left twice, and the right, and then walked a little bit back, but not once did she lose track of her position. That being said, it still managed to surprise her where he chose to stop. "Well, what are you standing around for?" He ushered her into the small stall, never once commenting on the array of emotions that appeared however briefly on her face.

"Welcome-Eh Orochimaru-sama?" Whether he wanted it or not, the snake Sannin was one of the more eye-catching figures in Konoha. He was respected by most in this current point in time, and commanded attention the moment he entered a room. Miyu watched as his lips curved up gently, and how those around him seemed to relax a little at the action.

"I'll have the usual," He said, taking a seat in front of the chef, before turning back to her, "You can either stand there staring, or you can join me. I'm willing to pay for whatever you want, think of it as a welcome meal."

"You really…" She looked at him, searching for something, for anything that would give away his intentions, and like usual came away with nothing. It was only a brief moment before she gave in, as scents she would never forget assaulted her. The salt of miso, the savouriness of braised meat all accompanied by the light 'thwack' of fresh noodles. Maybe she was being bribed, but it was far too hard for her to decline.

"Old man! Give me one miso and two beef!" They called out in unison, separated by a single body. Curiously she peered around the Sannin, the other customer doing the same until two sets of blue eyes were staring at each other in shock.

"Coming right up!" A younger Teuchi replied, oblivious to how absorbed the two seemed in one another.

"I should've expected you to be here Namikaze," Orochimaru cut in, "You eat so much of this stuff I'm surprised you still bleed blood and not soup. And you," He frowned at the young girl, "Can you even eat that much?"

"Of course." Miyu shook her head, trying the shake out any unnecessary thoughts, "The second beef is for Yang anyway." The fox himself was no longer on the ground, making an odd attraction of himself as he sat down on the stool to her left.

"Who's the kid, Orochimaru?" The other asked staring at her with curiosity, trying to catch her eyes again, even though she had long turned away. This was Namikaze Minato, the man who had shaped her life despite being dead. The one she admired, strive to become like, and the very same one who had determined her fate the moment he sealed the fox. But he hadn't done any of that yet, looking younger than the visage she remembered staring down at her from the mountain, and maybe he never would.

"Namikaze, this is Uchiha Miyu," And that was indeed what her name had become, "And Miyu, this man is Namikaze Minato." He introduced the two blondes with a wave, more interested in the bowl of ramen set before him. That being said, the Sannin absentmindedly noted down their similarities. He wasn't one to believe in coincidences.

"Uchiha? Well you sure don't look it, not that I mean any offense," He chuckled lightly, "You would think a blonde Uchiha would be more memorable."

"She's new to Konoha," Orochimaru answered in her place, "I picked her up from Ame."

"Ame huh," The older blond hummed thoughtfully, "Well welcome to Konoha Miyu-chan, and if you ever need anything feel free to come find me."

* * *

"Miyu-chan!" The girl was able to ignore the voice for most part, at least until the speaker began hovering behind her.

"You're like a parasite, Namikaze." Orochimaru murmured quietly, only really heard by the fox's sensitive ears. In a louder voice, he not so politely asked what the man wanted.

"I had no idea Namikaze-san was actually like this," Miyu's conversation partner raised an eyebrow, looking about as sceptical as a child could, "What does he want now?"

"Who knows?" Minato had apparently convinced the Sannin of his cause, waving her over eagerly, "But it looks like I'd better go."

"Well, see you later then." The purple haired girl gave her new friend a parting wave and Miyu did the same. Seeing younger versions of her old comrades was easier on her heart, especially if she was able to fool herself into calling them strangers, or to momentarily forget. Kurama didn't really approve of either method, but would easily abide to whatever kept his partner moving forward.

"How's your day been Miyu-chan?" The cheerful man asked as he all but dragged her away. Orochimaru may have been her current watcher, but she didn't dare fool herself into thinking that there weren't Anbu watching her every move. On that note, she wondered if leaving Kurama with the Sannin meant that he would also be under observation.

"Good, Anko-chan was showing me some jutsu," And even though she had seen them once before, it was still a fun experience seeing snakes pop out of the other girl's sleeves, "Where are we going?"

"A village tour," He explained, "Courtesy of the Sandaime seeing as your probation is almost over."

"Oh…"

"So, where do you want to go?" Minato fell into step beside her instead of staying in front where she could follow, "We can go swing by the Academy, and a couple training grounds, and maybe stop by Ichiraku's for lunch?"

"Okay." They did exactly that, walking through the bustling streets under the scrutiny of the villagers. It had been almost three weeks since she had arrived, and every day she had spent idly recovering in the presence of Orochimaru and his apprentice Anko. She hadn't left her designated area once, out of fear of confrontation, but already whispers and rumours had drifted from one end of Konoha to the other. To some she was a bastard Uchiha, born from a coward father. Other's said she was the altered clone of Minato himself, wrought from Orochimaru's dubious experimentation. As it was, the Sannin's apparent hobby was like a badly kept secret in Konoha, and unless he moved his attention away from the enemy nin and numerous street urchins, it would stay as such. It was times like these, in the middle of a rampant war, that the air got especially thick. In Konohagakure in particular, such a dense fog of unease had settled that more and more 'wrong' things were allowed to go 'unnoticed'. She and Kurama too, had all but slipped under the radar.

"Miyu-chan?" He was showing her the training grounds now, yet she couldn't even remember passing the academy.

"Ah, sorry, what were you saying?" She tugged at the sleeves of her yukata, felling more than defenceless with the lack of weapons.

Minato smiled at her, as warm and as bright as the sun, and her unease settled ever so slightly. "This is the third training ground," He introduced, "Konohagakure has about 45 dedicated training grounds spread around the village."

"You're not planning to take me to each one are you?" He gave her a sheepish look, at her unenthusiastic tone.

"…not anymore, haha-" He paused mid laugh, squinting as he spied someone behind her, "That over there," He said solemnly as she turned to follow his gaze, "Is Konoha's memorial stone, for the ninja who die in service." From here she could see the dark stone held significantly less names than here time, but what really caught her eye was the boy standing beside it, his head tilted down as if all the answers for his woes was written on the ground. Miyu didn't catch exactly what he said next, but all too soon they were headed towards the boy with merely a hasty 'That's my idiot student'.

"Kakashi," He couldn't help but feel accomplished as his student's grey eyes turned away from the stone, and that was no small feat if you asked those that knew the boy, "I want you to meet Uchiha Miyu, and Miyu-chan, this is one of my student's Hatake Kakashi."

"Uchiha?" His voice was pained, though he hid it well, and she met his gaze knowingly.

"Nice to meet you Hatake-san." She could do nothing for his current grief, and had no words to offer. He wouldn't really understand if she said 'Sorry for being late'. So Miyu smiled, trying to transfer the warmth that Minato had passed onto her. Because smiling was all she could do, and she didn't even know if it looked right, or if it was as crooked as it felt.

"…Kakashi's fine." He told her blandly, and though she nodded, there was no way she would be calling him that anytime soon. Minato stood awkwardly by the side as the silence stretched on, but when he opened his mouth to speak, Kakashi beat him to it. "Are you ok?" He asked, with a surprising touch of genuine concern.

"…" Her hands, hidden in her navy sleeves, were clenched tight despite her outwards, relaxed stance, "Not really." And she told him this both because she was an awful liar, and due to the fact he appeared to care enough to deserve it. It's not 'I'm fine' would've been much better anyway. "You?"

"…" He remained silent, not as comfortable as she had been to divulge his mental state to a stranger.

"Well I don't know about you two, but I'm hungry," Minato dropped a hand on both of their shoulders, already steering them ahead, "Let's go get lunch. Ichiraku's, my treat."

* * *

"Konichiwa, future Hokage-sama," He was tired enough with her snark, wondering why the girl seemed so sure he wasn't Hokage material. Not that he had to prove himself to her or anything of the like.

"It is out of the kindness of my soul that I'm letting you borrow my books," Orochimaru replied with a displeased click of his tongue, "The least you could do is try to act more respectful."

"Hai, hai," The sound of pages flipping was heard throughout the room by her and a dozen of her clones. He sighed, tossing yet another scroll at her, hoping the information rebound from the clones would give her as big a headache as she gave him. Yet somehow he doubted it… this girl was a little too impressive for that. "Anyway, if we were trading your library for manners I wouldn't be teaching you my jutsu would I?"

"I suppose." The Sannin may have been dissatisfied, but she wasn't wrong. It wasn't exactly equivalent exchange, but more of an ebb and flow feeling. If he happened to give her a particularly valuable scroll, she knew there would be more if she kept her end of the bargain, and when she showed him something phenomenal, well it was guaranteed to keep his fickle interest.

"Do you like paperwork?" Miyu asked on a sudden tangent.

"I don't think any sane person does." He replied. It was boring, and anyone that had made their way through the ranks up to jounin, chunnin even, knew that much.

"And your learning? Decided you've hit your limit, Oji-san?" She smiled at him and he wondered if his face was showing the irritation he felt.

"Of course not." Orochimaru scoffed indignantly, and it was only a couple moments before his mind caught onto what she was doing.

"That's weird," The blond child continued coyly, "I thought you wanted to be Hokage? I was so sure you either loved paperwork, or decided it was time to retire from service, seeing as you'd be willing to give up all the time you spend either studying or working on jutsu. You'd probably have to give up the lab too." Good riddance, she thought quietly.

"You really are the most obnoxious child I've ever had the misfortune of meeting." He told her blandly.

"Thank you." She was starting to think he wanted the position just for the sake of wanting it. Logically there was no other reason. He already held enough sway in Konoha to let most actions go by unquestioned, and it wasn't as if he wanted the honour of protecting village. He could do that well enough on their field, and sitting behind a desk wouldn't be half as effective. Orochimaru wasn't a conqueror, he didn't want to rule over every nation as a king. His ideals, should he ever reach them, were closer to that of a god's. Miyu simply couldn't see how chaining himself to the village would aid that journey. So she would keep on telling him that for as long as he needed to hear it.

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for readin'


	5. Leaves Will Shake when the Wind Blows

**A/N** Because 'on time' is not something that applies to me.

The longer I sit on this fic the more I start to contemplate people who might also be good pairing options (like maybe a little Genma...or some Shisui...or even a dash of Itachi...). Not that I would ever discount Kakashi... just that all of a sudden maybe love needs to take some twist and uh polyamous turns hahah...ha

Anyway, progress, whooo for progression.

* * *

 **~Chapter 5 – LEAVES WILL SHAKE WHEN THE WIND BLOWS**

War tended to change people in obvious ways, and no one could claim to be quite the same after it passed… if they survived that is. It wrung out every fibre of your being, mentally and physically, because war was a vicious creature that only knew how to take and never give, not that anything gained could compare to what would be lost. This was true for civilians and shinobi alike, the latter of which earned nightly terrors for their valour. Some people dealt better than others, some worse, but a survivor would always recognize one that had been through the same strife.

Miyu fit right in here, almost better than in her own desolate time.

Konoha now, under all its liveliness and bustling people, is deceptively harsh. The tree's loom tall and spread endlessly, isolating the village from the violence outside but not the fear it breeds. It's no longer a scenery of lush, green wonder, and instead forms a dark and hostile wilderness that just barely loosens its chokehold to unwillingly let its inhabitants come and go. Inside isn't much better, with the growing fear in the civilians and the fading eyes of the shinobi the longer it all drags on. But that fact, is the same everywhere.

There was suspicion first, about the blonde Uchiha hanging around the snake Sannin, and their many gazes had weighed heavily on her, from those she passed on the streets to those she wasn't supposed to notice, tucked away in hidden nooks and crannies. They turned away soon enough, noticing her brittle, fragile appearance. An orphan of war, bastardized clone or not. She let them think what they wanted, to see what they wanted, as she hid further underneath the underneath.

"Miyu-chan," He may have had a warm gaze and a kind voice, but Miyu didn't think for a second she was fooling this wise shinobi, "Would you like some tea?" Couldn't or wouldn't was debatable, but here she felt comfortable enough to lower her guard.

"Yes please, Hokage-sama." He poured her a cup of the Fire Nation's finest green tea, a brand she had long forgotten the taste of, its steam rising in gentle waves.

"So, how have you been?" The legendary God of Shinobi looked like nothing more than a harmless old man right now, sharing some tea with a war veteran turned time-traveller who in turn held the appearance of a woeful, weak child. "Has Konoha been kind to you during the past month?"

"Good," Miyu replied with a smile, "It really is a lovely village." He smiled at her, motioning for her to elaborate, and so she did. The blonde talked about the impressive Hokage Monument, and the scenery of the sunset over the village from up on the Shodaime's head. Sarutobi laughed a little, but didn't reprimand her for climbing over the village icon. Miyu went on about all the small stores and shops, and the splash brightness they brought even in these tough times. She told him about Ichiraku's having the best ramen she's ever had, and how she didn't expect Orochimaru to be a more than occasional regular. He snuck in a question then, about how his former student was treating her.

"Better than expected," She said with a cheeky grin, "He feeds and put's up with me, and even though he complains a lot, he still lets me use his library."

"Really?" The old Hokage looked beyond pleased, a few of his wrinkles easing out. It wasn't quite perfect, and she still didn't know if he had been swayed from his more dubious goals, but it was a start. And for now, that was enough Miyu acquiesced with a slight nod and slighter smile. Small steps, Kurama had warned her, because they weren't sure yet how far a single ripple could and would travel. "I'm glad." He told her honestly. His student, the one he thought might've been lost forever, might slowly return to him like this. Evidently the girl had already stopped him from pulling away, delving deeper into unsavoury research, and for that he already owed her some thanks.

"Your probation is at an end…" He cleared his throat and took a long sip of his own tea. "You said you had some interest in becoming a citizen of Konohagakure?" He smiled, eyes crinkling at the corner in a way that mirrored the old man in her memories.

"Yes," Miyu replied, her eyes reflecting a steely resolve, "And if possible I want to enter shinobi service."

"And why is that?" He was unsurprised about the request, but still required an approved motive. The girl didn't answer straight away, making multiple false starts as she swallowed her words more than once.

"Because I need the strength to protect. Because I've once again found something that I want to protect." There were other ways she could've done this, that she could still turn to, ones that didn't involve rooting her down in Konoha, or enlisting into their military. But the headband she had worn was more than just a reassuring weight. "I failed before. And I never want to feel that emptiness again."

 ** _Fool…_** Kurama echoed through their link, though the reason for his displeasure was difficult to identify.

He held her stare for a long time, leaving feeling exposed as if he could see right through her. "Minato showed you the Academy correct?" Slowly her head bobbed in confirmation, "Good, your classes will start on Monday then."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," He felt mildly uncomfortable as the child before him folded her legs underneath themselves, bending her body low and bowing her head in respect and gratitude.

"None of that." He waved off, trying to break the solemn atmosphere with a wry chuckle. It seemed to work as she raised her head from its place inches from the ground. He walked over and helped her up, settling his weathered hand over the top of her head. He didn't miss how her initial surprise turned into happiness, her eyes lighting up and losing a little of their murky tone.

"Thanks again," Miyu chirped, the tension leaving her shoulders as she matched his smile with a true one of her own, "Jiji."

* * *

"So what do you think?" Sarutobi asked, his words hanging in the air for precious seconds before the hidden ninja revealed himself.

"She looks tired," He replied, long, platinum hair sweeping down with him as the man dropped from the ceiling.

"And?" The Hokage asked with a raised brow. Yamanaka's had always been good at reading others, and Inoichi the young clan head and TI specialist, was practically the best of the best.

"She's still in mourning, so it seems," He added, though it was more than obvious, "Equal parts determined and uncertain, maybe fearing the collapse of this village as well. She's confident in her strength, more than a child should be. You realise she will far outclass the academy kids correct?"

"I do," The wizened man admitted, "It's more of a formality than anything else at this point."

"Must have been a child soldier, with the wounds she had," Inoichi had begun pacing, a curious habit he had had since childhood, "She looked eager to return to the field, not as much fear as expected from a child, if any at all."

"How was she overall the past month?"

"How indeed," the man echoed, "She kept mostly to herself, and only really interacted with Orochimaru and his apprentice, Mitarashi Anko. Namikaze also visited frequently, aside from the tour you asked him to give he's taken her around the village on a more than weekly basis." It was possible this was the other blonde's unique method of coping with the grief of losing a student, or maybe it was some kinship or pity, but regardless he was not the current topic of discussion.

"And how truthful were her words?" The Hokage finally asked.

"Very," Inoichi affirmed, "I believe she could be a great asset to the village, though I would have preferred if you had waited a bit longer before reinstating her, just so I could give you a more complete assessment."

"Oh? A month was not enough?" The young man merely shrugged in a helpless sort of way.

* * *

Orochimaru was already waiting for her by the doorway to his humble abode. The small house was spectacularly uncharacteristic of the Sannin, less than Tsunade's inherited mansion but more than the apartment rooms Jiraiya made do with. It was homely dare she say, with no attached training grounds, secret passages or underground labs. Very simply, it was a place where even the most weary soldiers could find some small comfort.

Miyu couldn't remember it existing in her own time. Where it should have stood then had been no more than an empty plot of land that no one had the want or will to redevelop.

"Welcome back," He told her, the novelty of those words never failing to amuse her, "I've been told that they finally figured out what to do with you."

"Hokage-sama said I'll be attending the Academy from Monday onwards." She elaborated.

"Oh I already knew about that," He responded with a mysterious smile, "I was talking about your housing predicament."

"He didn't tell me anything about that…"

"Well to be fair he doesn't know yet," Orochimaru folded his arms, fingers tapping against his forearm, "The council made the unanimous decision and I doubt even Sensei would be able to go against that."

"I see." Anko popped up from behind him tossing her a small bag full of basic essentials. It wasn't as if she had any belongings to begin with, so this would be yet another thing they had procured for her. Everything, including the clothes on her back, had been given to her by the Sanin. And for it all, she was grateful, even coming to find the plain and dark, cotton yukata comfortable.

"The Uchiha are expecting you," He explained with yet another enigmatic tilt of his lips, "I'd say I'd miss you, but..."

"Haha," The blonde laughed wryly, "Jokes on you 'cause I plan to visit often. Isn't that right Anko-chan?" The purple-haired girl nodded enthusiastically. They were sparing partners after all.

"Do what you want." The Sannin sighed, waving her off in mock exhaustion.

* * *

Kurama joined her partly before they arrived at the infamous compound, done with his daily skulking around the village, and ready for their impromptu introduction. The guards allowed them entry impassively, and a civilian branch member led her through the suspiciously empty home, into what was probably their council room. It had all happened frighteningly smoothly, and before she knew it she was standing before the Uchiha's bull-headed elders Their disapproving almost disgusted gazes all aimed at her, acted as a reminder that there was yet another thing to prevent.

 ** _Just let them fall,_** Kurama grumbled spitefully, glaring at the council with unbounded anger. That furious, red gaze had them taken aback, not quelling the atmosphere, but dominating with the demon's own.

"Ahem, Uchiha… Miyu was it?" One man spoke, stumbling over the name their clan was so proud of due to how ill-suited it was for the girl before him. "We welcome you to the Uchiha clan."

 ** _And what a warm welcome it is,_** the fox huffed in place of his silent partner.

"From now on we expect you to conduct yourself like a proper Uchiha and do your utmost best to help the clan prosper," The elder intoned, as if she was supposed to be thankful, as if it was the least she could do, "Failure is unacceptable." The 'especially from you' went unsaid.

"Hai." Miyu had meant a lot of great people in her life, a lot that had either earned her respect or simply her admiration, with their impressive courage or selfless actions. None of the men sitting before her resembled those long deceased heroes at all, and so while she might have agreed in in part through words, their request come order never reached her heart. The blonde held her head high, not even granting them the acknowledging tilt she had given even the snake Sannin upon their one-sided reunion. The blatant lack of respect only served to fuel their displeasure, but before any could utter a word, the door to the chambers opened once again.

"Excuse me." The man that entered had deep, tired creases on his stern face, and shoulder-length hair a shade or two lighter than the typical Uchiha. Despite his obvious fatigue though, his narrowed eyes were both bright and sharp. "I had instructed a maid to bring our guest straight to me, though I suppose there must have been some confusion, so I came to personally retrieve her," His appearance and words had an immediate effect of silence within the chamber, and in a tone that belied his satisfaction, he turned his attention to Miyu, "You may be an Uchiha in name, but right now you are a guest, and It would be poor form for us to do anything before you've been properly settled in." He dropped a hand onto her shoulder, ignoring Kurama's blatant disapproval, and guided them out of the stifling room with practised ease. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced," He began, more pleasantly than Miyu would have assumed from any of the Uchiha after that whole episode, "Uchiha Fugaku, the current clan head."

"…Uchiha Miyu," She held back a wince, it really did fit badly, only slightly better than Uchiha Naruto, "And this is Yang." Kurama she corrected to herself, because the demon had told her how important the name had been to him, as the first gift from the great sage. And if she didn't remember it, then who would? Tossing aside her identity had been one thing, a necessity, but she would be damned if she did the same to the fox who already had so little. "Where is it we'll be staying, Uchiha-san?" The blonde asked politely.

"You'll have troubling addressing everyone here, if you keep that up," She shrugged, in her opinion things would be infinitely easy if she could just forgo names, "Fugaku is enough seeing as you'll be living with my family and I."

"Fugaku-san then." She adapted, having more than a little difficulty seeing the man as Sasuke's father. She had never known him, so she couldn't really say much, but from everything she had learned she was expecting more of a tyrant. Someone who lived and breathed power and command. That wasn't to say the man before her was none of those things, just less so, more normal, more human.

* * *

Everything in her mind seemed unreasonably warped on some days. This tended to come hand in hand with her wavering memory, sharp as a shard of glass one day, and clouded by an obscuring fog on others. Kurama held her together in the latter cases, remembering her past for her even if he disliked to. But those weren't the hardest times.

The strife came from the discrepancy between what her mind remembered and what her eyes actually saw. When she was to meet her first idol, she had been a fool to expect the untouchable, imposing youth from her memory. There was no porcelain mask, neither crow nor weasel, marking this the second, maybe third time she had seen him exposed. She was taller than him now, crouched so she could observe his face more closely. Rounder, chubbier, child-like cheeks instead of the striking sharpness, almost gauntness he had worn. Wider, onyx eyes, not completely innocent here either, but not full of cynicism and self-hate.

They stared at each other for an uninterrupted moment, one trying to assess a stranger, and the other trying to find any sort of resemblance to the man who had saved a drowning demon, who had cried as he slaughtered his kin yet sacrificed himself for his brother. The small dark-haired child blinked first, breaking whatever unspoken connection had held them, but she was satisfied with the small familiar glimmer she had found.

"Nice you meet you," A smile bloomed onto her face, gently as if afraid she might scare the other away, "I'm Uchiha Miyu."

"Uchiha Itachi," He replied in the high unbroken voice of a young boy, "You don't look like an Uchiha."

"Itachi!" His mother, Mikoto reprimanded, only half-surprised at her son's apparent bluntness. Miyu merely laughed, returning with a grin made for indulging the brat.

"How about now?" She gathered her chakra, focusing it on her eyes and hoping that the transition would be as entertaining as she imagined. Blue bled into red, and those signature tomoe swirled as the Uchiha manifestation of grief.

"Yeah…" He uttered, the lack of formality refreshing. She blinked them away with little effort, and introduced her forgotten partner to the boy and his mother.

"If he disappears you won't have to worry, he's probably just searching for food," She explained, "Oh, but he knows not to attack the Nara deer, and any other claimed livestock."

"That's good to know." Mikoto replied with a slight smile. She looked rather remarkably like Sasuke, only with slightly softer, more feminine features, like some had told her in terms of her father. She was thin, lean, maybe a past ninja, and move with a grace that came naturally to her. Miyu tilted her head as a disturbing thought came to her. Was it possible that she might have an effect on Sasuke's birth? Just by being here had she already ended the existence of her friends and family? The idea was beyond scary, and not for the first time since entering the past, she felt the fox physically push her out of her own mind.

 ** _Do not get lost, kit._**

* * *

The day after her move and before her Academy debut, the young time-traveller gained an odd sort of shadow. At first had been two curious eyes peering from behind a corner, and soft second set of footsteps following her around the winding compound. That had lasted for about as long as Itachi's patience, before he clearly realised he was more of a direct person. Now he sat contentedly, barely a meter away, with a much better view and a warm, furry body to lean on.

"What is that for?" He asked, pointing at the book of inky scribbles she was working on.

"Seals," Miyu replied with a furrowed brow, "I'm practising." She hadn't had the time for it before, but it was high up on her new to do list given how powerful it could be. Kurama had been displeased, but hadn't tried to sway her, more or less agreeing with that statement. She continued drawing patterns, modifying the swirls and lines that would eventually mark her body. They had to be right, exactly so, given the rather unpleasant consequences. "Isn't just watching me boring?" She asked after roughly an hour.

The boy tilted his head in accord to it. Yes it was boring, but, "There's nothing else to do." The blonde raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"I'm sure you have something you could be practising," She didn't shoo him away though, standing and stretching out the kinks in her body, "I'm feeling generous. Is there anything you want me to show you?"

"Can you show me some ninjutsu?" Itachi asked running his hands through the fox's surprisingly silky fur.

"Probably. What do you want to see?" Miyu offered as she ran through her repertoire. Something showy maybe, that wouldn't draw too much suspicion. Maybe something with flashy fire.

"Bushin no jutsu."

"Eh…really?" She didn't even blink before a small cloud of smoke appeared and her mirror image joined her wearing a matching disappointed expression. "Like this?" They spoke in synch, watching who the boy decided to speak to.

"You didn't use any hand seals." He commented, turning to who he though was the original. It popped out of existence with a sly grin much to his surprise, the true original thoroughly enjoying his confusion.

"I'm good with this jutsu." She went out on a limb and ruffled the boy's hair. To her joy he hadn't minded much. She flumped down beside him, breaching the metre boundary he had initially set, with the fox lying across them both. They both might not have been to most open people, but they did spend the rest of the day chatting aimlessly, something the two children should have been doing all along, instead of worrying about the raging war happening in Itachi's case, and the one that would come in Miyu's. It was still far too early into this fragile relationship for the young Uchiha to truly open up, but an almost-smile every now and then was good enough for now.

* * *

"We want her tied into the clan, Fugaku," This old man, though battered and worn from time, still held even more power, more influence, than even Fugaku. The only thing the previous clan head had given up was the honour to hold the renowned title, happily still making the clan jump at his command and dance to his tune.

"She will be treated like the daughter I never had." The current head sighed. Resentment had begun to fill his heart these days, replacing the pride that had once thrived there. The table of elders remained unconvinced of his resolve.

"You've familiarised yourself with her file correct?" Another nameless figure questioned, "You of all people should recognize how much her blood could help further the clan."

"Regeneration at just a basic level is already a great asset, others not only us will be vying for it," The youngest elder cut in, "If we could confirm its ability to counteract the degradation…"

"But we cannot," Fugaku stated calmly, "Unless she is to manifest it herself, we can only guess at its capabilities. We do not even know if it will harmonize with the Sharingan, if it might dominate it."

"Who's to say she hasn't already?" The head countered, "Losing your entire village surmounts to a large amount of grief. A fully mature, controllable Sharingan at her age? Such a thing is near unheard of. If she had obtained the Mangekyo though, pushing her eyes to awaken fully, somehow it seems more plausible." He paused letting the weight of his words settled, "As for whether or not it may coexist with the Sharingan… in the worst case scenario we are prepared to experiment with trial and error. In the first place a clan member with that sort of healing is already superior to one that never awakens his eyes."

"…"

"Do you understand what we mean now, Fugaku?" The old man's eyes were shrewd, shining with a light that his successor didn't wish to acknowledge, "Watch her carefully. Train her if you want, in particular you should have your lovely wife groom her into the position she will eventually have, just make sure she stays loyal to the Uchiha and the Uchiha only." Fugaku's only response was to bow low and courteously, eyes glued down and face hidden so that they may not see the near-insubordinate look he wore on his too weary face.

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for hanging in there :)

We're pushing our way into the Uchiha clan and it's ball of problems as well as the Academy, but there's a bit to go before actual romance... sorry

We're gonna start constructing the Eiffel tower of sibling relationships right here between Itachi and Miyu (god bless me achieving the end product I have in the recesses of my mind right now.)

And next will be more Konoha integration and meetings, maybe a dash of Kakashi.


	6. Unwilling to Move Forward

**A/N** Hello.

A lot from now will run parallel to the earlier version of this story with a few changes here and there. Those changes though might inevitably cause consequential change, so its just a heads up if we suddenly find ourselves in no man's land.

* * *

 **~Chapter 6 – UNWILLING TO MOVE FORWARD, UNABLE TO TURN BACK**

"Good morning Miyu-chan," Mikoto greeted, already up and about even at the break of dawn, "Did you sleep well?" She smiled warmly at the small, sleep-tousled girl that padded into the kitchen, and the yawning fox that treaded alongside her.

"Yes, thank you for asking." The girl replied politely. It was still much too early to head over to the academy, in fact far too early to do anything than lounge around. Of course she could return to her room and continue the gruelling chakra exercises she had set herself, but after all the effort she had already put in, Miyu felt like a break was more than due.

"Oh! I almost forgot," The Uchiha matriarch turned and hurried into one of the many side rooms, eagerly returning with arms full of navy coloured cloth. She deposited the hefty bundle into the small girl's hands, "Quickly, try one on. If they're too loose or too big I can fix them right up."

"Ah…" Miyu had been manhandled back into her room before her tired mind could make sense of what had happened, taking a couple of seconds to collect herself before slowly examining the bundle of new clothes. They were all darkly coloured shades of blue, the lightest only a tad lighter than the blue of the common hitai-ate, and the darkest basically black. All of them looked like variants of the current yukata she wore, some with sleeves long and wide enough to obscure her entire hand and others sleeveless, their overall lengths anywhere from the middle of her thighs to her ankles. The only commonality they all had was the red and white fan printed boldly on their backs, outright marking her as a member of the esteemed clan. Miyu found one in particular that reminded her of a bluer, sleeved version of the dress Sakura had worn when they were younger, tied together with a dark red obi, trying it on briefly more out of amusement than anything else.

"…Do you have any pants Mikoto-san?" She found herself asking as she slipped into one of the shorter yukatas, favouring the long and wide sleeves than seemed to compensate for the lack of material covering her legs.

"I do," The older woman replied from outside, following with the sound of rummaging, "I had some bought just in case." She also took the chance to take a peek, popping into the room with another armful of clothing, and thoroughly examining the girl with her eyes. Her gaze lingered for a few seconds on the skin of her legs that her shorts were unable to hide, subconsciously trying to count the innumerable mass of lines and marks that patterned her limbs.

"Thank you for all this, Mikoto-san." The scars were a new thing for Miyu as well, having never seen them mar her previous body for any longer than it took the wound to heal. Seeing them all on her now, made her realize how useful that healing had been, especially seeing what would have meant a severed limb amongst all the scars she was clueless to.

"It's no problem Miyu-chan." Mikoto collected herself as the girl donned a pair of tightfitting pants, completely hiding the scars with exception of a thin, pale stripe across her neck that anyone less observant would easily miss. "I meant what I said yesterday," She offered another kind smile, "I can only hope you come to find this place home."

* * *

Miyu passed her first morning in the Uchiha household peacefully. Greeting Fugaku and Itachi in turn as they woke, and idly helping Mikoto with breakfast preparations as they chatted about nonsense. She settled in surprisingly well, Itachi even seeing her to the door and earning a poke on the forehead for his efforts. She was still replaying the bewildered expression he had shown her by the time she had reached the Academy, and wishing she had taken a photo when she finally reached her classroom door.

Two firm raps rewarded her with a gruff "Come in." So she did, sliding open the wooden door and stepping in confidently. "Who are you, little Miss?" Asked the apparent teacher, a man with cropped black hair in a standard chuunin vest. Miyu simply handed him a note from the Hokage himself as she surveyed the room, marking all those she had known and those she had never gotten a chance to meet. Everyone looked about nine years old, but she was told that this was the graduating seemed that unlike the peaceful Konoha she had grown up in, where they had the luxury of nurturing students for 5 long years, war was pushing for a faster speed of soldier production. There, she had been the odd one to graduate so young, now she simply fell into the pack.

"Well class," The chuunin said loudly, "We'll be getting a new student. This is Uchiha Miyu, your future comrade." Taking a look at the students in the top row she almost did a double take. There was a familiar looking brunette sitting alone in one of the back rows, the familiar scar already stretching across the bridge of his nose.

"Nice to meet you!" She greeted brightly as whispers broke out. It was overall very confusing for the blonde, Namikaze look alike to turn out to be an Uchiha, the unsavoury rumours of konoha never quite reaching the ears of these kids.

"I'm Takao Saito and I'll be your teacher," Saito introduced, "Does anyone have any questions."

"How old is she?" An Inuzuka asked from the front row without raising his hand. Miyu didn't doubt that she looked younger than her age.

"Age doesn't matter when you're a shinobi," He dismissed readily when Miyu didn't immediately answer, "Next."

"What's with those whiskers?" Another girl asked while pointing at her own cheek. The chuunin look to her for an answer, only receiving a vague shrug.

"They're probably birthmarks." He stated with conviction in her place.

"Are you sure he's an Uchiha?" A boy up the front questioned doubtfully.

"Yes."

"Why is she joining our class so late?" An unfamiliar girl with short, brown hair asked.

"Alright! That's it for questions." Saito decided, seeing as he was the one doing all the answering, "Sit wherever you want, gaki." Everyone watched her expectantly and were surprised to see her walk all the way up the rows to sit next to the lone boy.

"Hello, I'm Miyu" The short blonde reintroduced with a grin.

"I'm Umino Iruka." The brunet grinned back in a friendly manner. _Iruka was such a cute kid._ Miyu thought happily, hearing an echo of a chuckle in her thoughts. She smiled happily while watching the boy out of the corner of her eyes. He seemed to struggle to pay attention and she caught his glances each time he turned to look at her, much to his embarrassment. As class stretched on she thanked whatever god up there that there was less knowledge for her to remember. A good chunk of the history had yet to happen and she had grasped the theory a long time ago. Their teacher continued to talk about stealth and other similar topics while pacing in front of the room. Hours dragged by for her before he finally stopped.

"Alright brats," Takao announced with a brisk tone, "It's lunch, so get your shit and get out of my classroom." Miyu personally found it funny that her teacher spoke so frankly, comparing him to the future Iruka.

"Hey Iruka-kun, do you mind if I eat with you?" She pressed her fingers together in a marvellous impression of a certain shy Hyuga. Eager to use any tactic to rebuild the relationship she had with her first semblance of family.

"Sure! Do you want to go outside?" The blonde nodded and he led her to the base of a large tree, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

"So, what do you have for lunch?" Iruka asked pulling out his bento. In response Miyu pulled out her own orange wrapped lunchbox. Taking off the lid, Miyu felt her heart warm as she took note of the appetising and carefully set out meal Mikoto had prepared for a child that wasn't even her own. "Did your mum make that for you?" He wondered in slight awe.

"…No, It was Mikoto-san." She answered truthfully.

"Oh, do you mean the wife of the Uchiha head?" There was a spark of realization in his eyes as he came to the quick assumption that her parents might not be around anymore. "I don't think I've seen a blue-eyed Uchiha before… let alone one with yellow hair."

"I'm only half," She replied happily enough, "And I'm still quite new to the village."

"Really?" That perked his interest, "Where are you from then?"

"Near Ame,"

"Cool... Does it really rain all the time there?"

"Not all the time…but maybe 6 days a week." They shared a few laughs, quickly relaxing in one another's presence. "So what have I missed out on?" Miyu asked curiously, "I mean, what have you guys learnt already?"

"Hm? Well Saito-sensei doesn't really care too much about theory and history," The brunet scratched his nose in embarrassment, "I don't mind since I'm not very good at those things… Anyway, we went through the jutsu last week. You know which ones I'm talking about right?"

"Do you mean Bushin, Henge and Kawamiri?" He nodded showing she was correct.

"Yeah, those are the ones. We have our graduation coming up so you better learn them if you already haven't." Iruka advised, "Every couple of days we practise our sparing. We did that yesterday so you just missed out. Other than that there's not much else. Most of the times we go through mock situations in class."

"Mock situations?" the blonde prompted him further.

"Yeah," He tried to remember back a few days, "I think the most recent one was where you were a chuunin on delivery that got captured by the enemy."

"What did you do?" Miyu questioned.

"Ahahah…" Iruka laughed nervously and mumbled out his answer, "…I said to struggle, fight back and try to escape."

"And how did Saito-sensei say you did?"

"Ah, he said I'd be dead since they'd kill me for being too troublesome." Iruka mumbled unhappily, "Act complacent unless you know you can win the fight. Only an idiot would try to confront stronger shinobi while outnumbered." His voice deepened as he tried to mimic his teacher's idiosyncrasies, "Actually, struggle all you want. You brats are better off dead so you don't reveal any village secrets."

"Pfft." His impression of his teacher was horrible. Both kids broke out into childish laughter again.

"You look like you're having fun Iruka." A voice sneered. Both children stopped laughing as the light mood quickly grew sour. Annoyed, Miyu turned to see who had interrupted them. Black hair, onyx eyes, and a cocky demeanour, it couldn't be anyone other than an Uchiha.

"Leave us alone Ichirou." Iruka glared back at the boy.

"Make me." He taunted. Miyu never liked bullies and instantly took a further disliking to the boy. "Who are you?" He asked rudely, turning his attention to the blonde.

"Isn't common courtesy to offer you own name first?" She shot back. He didn't react to the jab and instead announced himself proudly.

"I'm Ichirou Uchiha," He answered, "I'll ask again. Who the hell are you midget and what are you doing with the loser?"

"Midget?" Miyu twitched slightly. She would let that one slide seeing as she knew her height would eventually average out. "Loser?" Her fist clenched a bit as she echoed the word. This one though, was a bit harder to let go.

"Just leave us alone, Ichirou." Iruka said tiredly. He had told her once long ago that Mizuki, despite the fact they both agreed he was a bastard, had been one of his first friends. At this point in time she could only wonder when exactly that was supposed to happen, and if Iruka had been alone just like her, for the entire time beforehand.

"Why should I?" The boy scoffed, "I'm just here to make sure you know your place." He made a grab for the brunet but was intercepted as a small hand grasped his own wrist.

"I'll ask you now to leave." Miyu said in a chilling tone, refraining from striking back. Iruka seemed adverse to fighting back, even as a young boy, showing the same soft-heatedness as his future self. And she owed it to him, the man who had taken care of her younger self, to at least try and diffuse the situation.

"I'll leave when I want to." The Uchiha answered with a glare, snatching his arm back from the girl's surprisingly strong grip.

"I hope for both all our sakes that means now," She stared him down for a few seconds, before taking Iruka's arm and leading them both away.

"Heh, are you cowards running away then?" The bigger boy taunted childishly, with almost a whine in his tone. "Hey! Come back here," The boy quickly turned to anger seeing them ignore his shouts, "You…" His expression turned ugly as he rushed at them, making a quick decision on who would be his first target.

"Miyu!" Iruka suddenly exclaimed, catching Ichirou's sneak attack from the corner of his eye. Miyu didn't even blink as she tilted to the side, catching the fist that came over her shoulder in a punishing grip, and throwing the cocky boy onto the ground with enough force to wind him.

"I'm not an idiot, Uchiha," The girl said in clipped tones, "Annoy me or Iruka again and I swear I will break at least one of your limbs." She left him in the dirt as she and Iruka walked back to the classroom.

"Thanks Miyu-chan," The boy whispered to her as they settled back into their seats, "For standing up for me."

"Anytime Iruka-kun," She replied with a grin, "That's what friends are for after all." His eyes seemed to light up at her words, and in turn the girl felt some of the weight fall off her shoulders. She had lost that bond, as well as many others, even before this time travelling stint. That hadn't stopped her from desperately trying to hold onto it though, regardless of Kurama's disapproval. He had told her more than once, that even as a demon fox, he had come to understand that it took more than a single person to uphold a bond.

 ** _'Alone you are merely chasing after fleeting memories, and you of all people should know how futile and detrimental that is.'_**

His words held truth, but at the time she wasn't ready to accept it. Even now she wasn't quite able to drop the disconnected, forcefully torn ends. Not yet, not until she knew these new ones wouldn't be fading anytime soon.

* * *

Miyu expected to leave the Academy the same way she entered, alone with too many thoughts running rampant in her mind. Instead she was only half right, surprise clearly showing on her face at the sight of Minato eagerly waving her over. Miyu had never really been suspicious by nature, but the sliver of scepticism that had grown in her could only wonder what she had done to garner such interest. Maybe it had been on the Sandaime's orders? It was reasonable, even if the idea didn't have her particularly happy.

"Good afternoon, Miyu-chan," He greeted brightly, ignoring any and all inquisitive looks he drew, "How was your first day?"

"It was okay," She replied watching Iruka leave with a woman that looked to be his mother, "I'm not as behind as I thought I would be."

"I see, I see," He took a hold of her shoulder, cheerfully steering her down a familiar path towards Training Ground 3, "I suppose this calls for celebratory ramen."

"You think everything should be paired with ramen." Miyu commented lightly, feeling it was more of an excuse than anything else.

"Well we need to uphold our weekly ramen trips one way or another." He raised brow told him she remembered him using a similar reasoning only two days ago. She didn't speak though, not until they reached they reached Konoha's Memorial Stone. Surpassingly his target wasn't alone today, his two students providing solemn company for one another. Perfect. "Kakashi, Rin, we're going to get lunch. I'm not taking no for an answer, team bonding and all." He was glad Rin seemed back to her usual self, grabbing her teammate in her vice-like grip and dragging the unwilling teen forward.

"Hatake," Miyu greeted, amused that he let himself get dragged around.

"Uchiha." He nodded in response, as deadpan as ever.

"Oh, I haven't seen you around before," The Konoha-born medic stated giving the smaller blonde a curious look, "Nohara Rin, nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Uchiha Miyu." They didn't shake hands, wave or anything of the like, assessing one another silently.

"So are you our…uh, repla- new teammate?" Rin winced expressively, the purple markings on her face shifting with her cheeks.

"Ah no," the young girl replied, "I'm new to the village, and uh, Minato-san's ramen partner."

"Well Kushina-san's been on a mission for quite some time so I guess sensei couldn't help but rope someone else into his addiction…" She muttered in a hushed voice, sending the man in question a sharp look. "Sensei, you've been left to your own devices for too long," She told him sternly, backed with the knowledge that the amount of ramen he went through couldn't be healthy, "Today you're treating us to yakiniku."

"I guess ramen will have to wait for next time Miyu-chan." And despite his audible disappointment he seemed satisfied by Rin's small outburst. "Lead the way Kakashi." He tacked on, seeing the silver haired boy inching away. Caught out he could only scowl, swapping to a brisk pace instead as if he could ditch them. Miyu followed well for most part, only lingering as she passed an up and coming dango shop.

"Do you mind if I pick up something?" She decided spontaneously, reaching for the pocket change Fugaku had passed her this morning.

"Not at all," Minato replied, taking a hold of his wayward student lest he escape, "Is it for Anko-chan? I head she's been badgering Orochimaru to take her here."

"Nah, it's fun to watch her bug him," Miyu replied with a snicker, picking out a couple of the sweeter desserts, "I just thought Itachi might like some."

"Itachi, Uchiha Itachi?" Kakashi echoed in question. Their team had head a lot about the clan heir from the deceased teammate. Obito praising his younger cousin dotingly whenever their discussions would stray, which was far too often by his count. "How do you know the Uchiha heir?"

"Yesterday I was inducted into the clan," She explained idly, "Fugaku-san took me in and I met his son yesterday."

"Eh, Fugaku did?" Minato's face seemed to pass through a variety of emotions before settling on something that could only be described as determination. Maybe he should have talked to the Sandaime earlier, but better late than never.

* * *

"Welcome home Miyu-chan." Mikoto greeted pleasantly the moment the girl walked in.

"I'm home…" The girl in question said slowly, the phrase feeling weird but not uncomfortable on her tongue. She spied Itachi behind his mother, not quite hiding but not quite out in the open, and held out a paper bag as a piece offering, "I bought some dango on the way home, for Itachi-kun, if that's okay."

"Oh, you didn't have to do that. It was very thoughtful of you." The woman replied, surprise and happiness mixing on her face. "Dinner is almost ready though, so you'll have to wait until afterwards to eat them, okay Itachi?" Mikoto informed, turning to her son knowingly.

"Hai Haha-ue." Her son replied with a quick, distracted nod as he eyes the nondescript bag. Miyu found herself chewing on the inside of her cheek to hide her smile, glad that Itachi's notorious love for sweets existed at even this young an age.

"I trust that you'll follow your mother's wishes and save this for later?" She repeated, holding out the bag more insistently. She received another nod, both women watching as the reserved boy stepped forward to collect it.

"Thank you," He told her, the hesitance visible in his dark eyes, "Miyu-san."

"Miyu by itself is fine," The blonde told him quickly, "You don't need to be so respectful towards me." The boy simply shared a look with his mother, gaining confidence at the approving nod.

"Miyu-oneesan then." He stated with a small, innocent smile.

* * *

 **A/N** Thank you for reading.

As it turns out there are a bunch of people in Konoha and a load of interactions to be made, so you can expect the next chapter to be more 'settling in'. Though do expect a not-quit-sudden timeskip to the end of the academy eventually.

As for next time, it'll probably be time for Kushina's appearance :)


	7. Discontentment

**A/N** Hello~

This actually took this longest time to plod through as for some reason i do most of my thinking whilst on a train without anything to note it down (which means it then gets forgotten and I spend far too long at home trying to recreate phrases)

That being said, I present the next chapter.

* * *

 **~Chapter 7 – DISCONTENTMENT**

"Sandaime-sama." Minato bowed low, lower than was required of his station, lower than what was expected from him personally, but at just the right height for someone asking a none-too-small request.

"Minato," The wizened shinobi acknowledged, fondness creeping into his tone, "What can I do for you?"

"Concerning Uchiha Miyu…"

"Yes?"

"I'd like to request for guardianship of her via adoption." A profound silence followed his statement, the Hokage's heavy gaze eyeing him questioningly.

"I assume you already know that there's little hope for that," The old man began with a sigh, "The Uchiha have already accepted her into their clan, specifically it is Fugaku who has welcomed her into his family." He held that thought, "She won't be treated badly if that's what you are concerned about. Fugaku is a good man, he will take care of her."

"I know that," Minato did consider the man a friend after all, even if that feeling wasn't reciprocated, "It's just that… Miyu's family," He gave the Sandaime a helpless look, "Her hair, her eyes, down to the way her cheekbones sit, it's easy to see why those rumours of her being my clone are milling about. She could just as easily call herself Namikaze Miyu."

"Her looks may be a simple coincidences, Minato." Despite having watched Minato grow into the successful shinobi before him, Hiruzen could still strongly remember the uncertain, lonely boy he once was. Perhaps he found a father figure in his mentor and Hiruzen's own student, and maybe he had gained friends amongst his peers, even finding a love that so many were admittedly envious of. But despite his happiness, there was surely still a fraction of his heart that yearned and longed for true family.

"Orochimaru said he picked her up from Ame, that she came from a small village of deserters." The jounin insisted, "You know that Ame is along the Land of Wind borders, and that Sunagakure has a high turnover in terms of their military. My mother's side of the family hailed from Suna, and I never knew her long enough to learn about any other family I might have. Rather than assuming I had none, it was the difficulty of searching and finding them that's stopped me."

"Haa…" The old man sighed heavily, "Be that as it may, we cannot discount the fact she is a proven Uchiha. Even if you are related, it doesn't change the fact she wields an active Sharingan, and there is no better place for her to train them than at the compound. You know this, I know this, but more importantly the council know this." He tapped his fingers against the forgotten papers atop his desk in a slow, steady pattern, "I'm not entirely opposed to your request Minato, but ask yourself this, what can you offer that the entire Uchiha clan cannot?" Minato scrunched his face up first in thought and then displeasure as no answer seemed to come to mind, painting the situation as hopeless.

"Now I hate to interrupt this jolly conversation between the two of you, but have you considered her feelings?" Came the unrepentant input of an eavesdropper-turned-participant from the doorway. The woman grinned, red hair swaying with her as she stepped forward, "It wouldn't be two hard to arrange if she expressed desire to live with Minato. It's not like they can't still train her from afar."

* * *

There was a stranger on the other side of the door, for both of them. Miyu, who had narrowly avoided being trampled by the too eager guest, was less surprised by seeing an unfamiliar face and more so at the fact he had come gallivanting into the Clan Head's house without a single qualm. The black-haired stranger, clearly an Uchiha, in turn came to a stumbling halt before the bright girl, staring in a mixture of confusion and interest at the obstacle before him.

"Oh! Sorry 'bout that," He made a shuffling step back with an easy smile on his lips, "You alright?"

"I'm fine…" The green flak jacket, slightly worn and dirtied, paired with the fact she had yet to see him around the village, led her to believe he had just returned from a long mission. "Do you have business here?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, just visiting…" He tilted his head to the side, brow furrowing in thought, "I don't think I've seen you around here before, are you one of 'tachi-chan's friends?"

"Tachi? You mean Itachi?" The older Uchiha made a small noise affirmation, "I'd like to think we are. But I uh, live here…"

"Eh? Really?" Miyu nodded unsurely, the stilted conversation making the both of them feel more than a little awkward. "So Fugaku-san adopted you?" Despite the atmosphere though, the teen still wasn't any closer to leaving, making himself comfortable against the doorway.

"Yes, about a month ago," She smiled, though it was a tad on the wry and dry side, and introduced herself, "Uchiha Miyu, nice to meet you."

"Pleasure's mine Miyu-chan," He on the other hand, smiled with his all, his upturned eyes crinkling at the corners in a charming way, "Uchiha Shisui at your service." He was beyond curious at this point. Rather than saying it was rare, he had simply never heard of a case where an outsider had been inducted into the clan. Blonde haired, blue eyed, she had none of the typical Uchiha features, but still seemed a little familiar and his mind was stuck on wondering why.

"Miyu-chan!" Shisui almost laughed aloud at the conflicting emotions that crossed the girl's face, equal parts annoyed and happy at the jounin interrupting their conversation. Usually the man was quite popular, especially with women and children, so it amused him to no end when her face settled on exasperation.

"Good morning Minato-san," Shisui turned to repeat her greeting, pausing when he saw the woman that had tagged along.

"Ahh…" His face followed Miyu's as it fell into a sulk, "What happened to spending the next week without seeing each other's faces Kushina?" His tone was a borderline whine, and he did nothing to hide his unhappiness.

"Don't be a brat Shisui," The red-haired woman replied, "Sandaime promised to not put us together on another long-term mission for the rest of the year unless absolutely necessary."

"The rest of our lifetimes wouldn't be long enough," He continued to complain, "So, what're you here for?"

"Just accompanying Minato." Her words brought his attention back towards the blond man, now standing beside Miyu with an uncharacteristically nervous smile. And what a striking picture that made. Never mind her questionable blood as an Uchiha, it was obvious that she shared genes with the Namikaze. "Exactly alike," Kushina stated with a thoughtful finger on her chin, "Do you have a daughter I don't know about Mina-chan?"

"No-, no, not at all!" The man quickly clarified, catching himself when he came off a little too frantic, "Ahem, Miyu-chan this is Uzumaki Kushina, Kushina, Uchiha Miyu."

"Nice to meet you." Miyu greeted with a respectful bow of her head. It felt oddly muted to see her mother in the flesh, even more so to see both her parents standing beside one another, alive and smiling.

"Aren't you a cutie?" Kushina moved forward boldly, going in for a hug with arms opened wide, and in response Miyu took an impossible step back. She couldn't say exactly why she had done it, but she felt the regret of it as Kushina's warm smile faltered. It had been largely instinctual, an unsettled, frightened part of her telling Miyu to stay away. Because she had been Uzumaki Naruto for far longer than anything else, and whilst she had never met the woman, she was still apprehensive that there was some unspoken standard she would fail to meet.

"So, uh Miyu, how are you settling in?" Minato cut in, trying to dismiss strained atmosphere.

"Fine." She answered, nervously biting her lip, "My answer wouldn't have changed from when you asked me this yesterday,,,"

"Ah, right, right…" Rather than saying he had forgotten, he was just grasping for straws, "Do you prefer it here than living with Orochimaru?" The two extras were sidelined as the conversation topics became unfamiliar to them, merely watching in interest.

"Well with it's not like I don't visit him frequently. It just feels like the place I sleep has changed," She answered honestly, "Sure it was convenient to have Orochimaru's library and a sparring partner nearby, but the compound has its own charm." Like warm, homecooked meals, and the fondness for the family that had barely settled into her heart.

"It's got to be Mikoto-san's cooking." Shisui added knowingly.

"You really don't need to worry so much about me." Miyu added with some thought.

"Rather than worrying…" He seemed to resolve himself enough to finally ask what had been plaguing him this whole time, "How would you feel about coming to live with me?" And only after saying it did he actually see how foolish it seemed to sound. No wonder Sandaime had looked at him so strangely.

"Why?" The girl was taken aback, too surprised to try and make her response more polite.

"Well I think we might be cousins," The jounin admitted, "And no matter how much Uchiha you inherited from your father, you've definitely picked up some Namikaze blood, and I thought maybe that's something you'd want to know…" He awkwardly cleared his throat, looking skywards in embarrassment, "Because we're family but even without that I'll still be here if you need someone to talk to."

"Thank you… that means a lot to me," She said slowly and sincerely, "Really, it means more than you could imagine." Her eyes shimmered, heavy emotion, while her breath and the rest of her words seemed to catch in her throat. "But as for your first offer," Even if he had asked early, she was sure that the best place for her was here, in the midst of a clan heading towards their doom, "I will have to decline."

* * *

"What do I need to do, Kurama?" They sat in the privacy of their shared mindset, where no others could intrude and where none of their secrets would be leaked, "That man, what was it he wanted to achieve?"

"You should be glad, to some extent, that his goal remains unknown and clouded," The fox replied uncaringly, flicking his several tails back and forth, "For the moment you begin to understand his intents and motives, you surely would have lost something important to gain said insight." It wasn't like she had completely abandoned her rash way of thinking, but rather that the desperation from trying to change the catastrophic future had added an extra layer of hesitation to her actions. Kurama had told her very sombrely that there would be a next time, because even if they managed to pay the blood price, neither their battered bodies or fractured souls would survive the transfer. "Speaking of which, have you felt any negative side effects recently?" Her thoughts flowed freely in this place, more so than the demon's, allowing him to easily pick up on passing notions.

"We've both noticed that I'm not healing as fast as I should," Miyu began, examining the scars on her healed arms, "Besides that though, the effectiveness hasn't lessened." She had experimented a little foolishly with it yesterday, and out of view of anyone who might've stopped her, sent a kunai straight through the palm of her hand. It hurt, of course it had, but it was an awfully familiar kind of pain. In the past it would've healed completely within hours, but if it was to follow the same example as her earlier wounds, it would take about a week to scar over and then stop at that. Instead, maybe because it was given a chance to focus on a single wound instead of multiple, it had done so by the end of the day. And then when she had woken all evidence had completely faded from her skin, despite the fact her older scars remained unchanged. "I'm not sure if these remained because my ability hadn't stabilised at the time, but I feel like newer wounds will no longer scar," She explained, "Or maybe I just need to be more heavily injured for evidence to show?"

"Perhaps, but that is a hypothesis we will not be able to test." Kurama was more than a little unhappy that she had gone and experimented with herself, as if she were no better than a lab rat, and that residual irritation had him monitoring her thoughts more closely than before. "Aside from that," He pressed, "Have you noticed anything unusual about your body?"

"Other than being smaller and weaker?" She smiled as if to lighten his mood, "Nothing at all."

"In that case I will ask you to inform me immediately if anything feels out of the ordinary," He didn't need to tell her to take it more seriously, she could easily enough read the severity from him, "Even with my regeneration, your body is more than susceptible to degradation at this point. You must take better care of yourself at this point if you do not wish to become inoperative."

"I see…" His obvious concern touched her, and in response her expression softened, "I will Kurama, I promise not to be too reckless from now on." The fox seemed satisfied after hearing her words and slowly their topic was brought back to plans for the future. "He put a lot of effort into capturing all of the tailed beast so disrupting that feels like the most obvious option."

"Yes, though my memories of this are vague, we were originally one being," His tails stilled as he talked and as usual he adopted an almost melancholy look, "Hagoromo split us into nine after becoming the Jyuubi's jinchuriki out of necessity, lest the world come to an early end. With that sort of power Madara would be capable of almost anything he so desired."

"Then what would be the best way to keep you separated? I don't thinking just warning the current jinchuriki's would be enough. In the first place, would they believe our words?"

"That is dependent on who we are talking about." He and his siblings had never really shared the natures of Hagoromo's final gifts with one another, keeping their own trumps hidden from prying eyes, but it was assumed that they were more or less equal. That would mean they each had something as implausible and ludicrous as time travel for a last resort., so one would think that they would be able to accept it given enough evidence. "Chomei and Gyuki may be the easiest to convince, which is good because the rest can be forced to listen to reason."

"Besides revealing our current situation, we do know of some proven methods to delay his plans," She chewed at her lip but voiced her concerns after a moment of thought, "We never did figure out how long death would keep a tailed beast off the plane of existence."

"Subaku was only absent for a few meagre years, whereas in the past Kokuo had stayed dead for several decades. It is an unreliable method but not one that must be immediately disqualified," He seemed detached from the idea of his siblings' death, feeling that the novelty of such a thing had long passed, "But with your current state, a war of attrition is not one we will be around to see the conclusion of."

"Hah… really the easiest thing would be to just kill him before this whole mess begins." Unfortunately she wasn't sure they were strong enough to do so, in fact she knew they weren't, and there was far too much at risk to rush to her death without the proper failsafes in place.

* * *

Her days were blessed with a sense of normality. Waking up before the birds to train, eating breakfast with her new family, attending the academy with Iruka beside her instead of at the front of the class, then it was back to training until dinner where after said meal she would find some peace to pore over scrolls. It wasn't difficult in the least, and the only hard part was trying to figure out how she should go about interaction with everyone. With no clues on how to find Madara and only vague ideas of what to do with the tailed beasts and their jinchuriki's, the only thing she could do was improve herself. These repetitive actions though, were starting to become stifling.

"Miyu-chan!" The oddball of an Uchiha burst into her room with little regard of her privacy, and it was probably only through Kurama's notice that he hadn't startled her.

"Is there something you need Shisui-san?" She asked, levelling him with her most unimpressed stare.

"Mah, I just wanted to see my little sunshine~" Deftly, he strode into the room, stepping over Kurama whilst being mindful of his swaying tail, "What're you up to there?" He leaned close towards her, focusing specifically on her marked arm.

"I'm finalising some seals." The blonde answered placing the inked brush down onto a scrap of paper.

"And what do they do?" The jounin continued curiously. He couldn't make head or toe of the mass of swirls along the inside of her wrists, though it had some parts that looked vaguely familiar. "More importantly, did you get them checked by a seal master."

"Ah," She turned her eyes to the side and down, "Well the last time I saw Orochimaru he mentioned that Jiraiya-sama wouldn't be returning to the village for some time."

"So that's a 'no' then," His smile was a little bit sharper as he took a firm hold of her arm, "I'm sure someone who's already drawing their own seals also know how dangerous to link seals to your chakra system. It would take an overeager idiot to slap one on without verifying the design through a seal master, because even the slightest stroke off could result in crippling your chakra pathways…"

"That's-" Shisui looked wholly unimpressed to the point she didn't even bother with an excuse, instead reluctantly allowing herself to be dragged outside of her room and the compound. He led her through familiar pathways, stopping in front of a building he had recently become familiar with, "I admit Minato is probably better at this than me, but he isn't exactly a seal master either." She stated with certainty.

"Minato? Nah we're here for someone else." He rapped lightly on the door first and then a little bit harder and insistently as a moment passed by.

"Yeah, yeah, hold your horses, I'm coming!" Instead of its usual blond tenant, it was a redhead that opened the door for them. "Whaddya want Shisui?" She mumbled, with the appearance of having just woken up. "Ara, you brought Miyu-chan with you, come in, come in," As if the small girl was a free pass they were ushered in pleasantly, the woman's demeanour slowly becoming more friendly as her drowsiness dissipated, "Now again, what can I do for you two?"

"Check this out Kushina." He tugged Miyu forward again, like he had been doing this whole time. In fact, now that she thought about it, he hadn't let go the whole journey.

"You-" Swiftly and unexpectedly the woman gave him a hard thwack to the back of his head before taking a hold of the marked arm for herself, "You of all people shouldn't even be attempting the delicate art of sealing, especially after the last accident. And you even went ahead and drew on her arm! Do know how dangerous it is? What will you do if she activates your shoddy work and cripples herself?!" She wasn't even looking at the seal at this point, roughly prodding her finger into Shisui chest forcefully enough to push him back with each strike.

"I am deeply offended you would think so little for me," The Uchiha replied with an expression of mock hurt, "I learnt my lesson last time after partially sacrificing my eyebrows. That was it for me."

"Then this?"-

"This, was me." Came the quiet admission from Miyu.

"You know fuinjutsu?" Kunshina eyed the pattern more critically, finding familiar bits and pieces melded into an entirely new seal, "Or rather what is this seal supposed to do? Who taught you?" It generally held the form of a storage seal-, actually now that she looked a bit closer it was more similar to a chakra draining or suppression seal. That being said she couldn't make head or tails of what was supposed to be the trigger regulator. And then when she turned to confront the girl the image of it in her peripheral vision struck a startling semblance to the Uzumaki's Four Symbol seal. Then she had to ask herself first, how the girl had gotten a hold of the design on the off chance it wasn't a coincidence, and why exactly she had thought it fitting to incorporate into the design. The red head was near on edge, almost tugging her hair in frustration at the confusion the seal brought.

"It's to help with my chakra control," She explained vaguely, inspecting the ink on her arm for any obvious flaws she might have missed, "Because my chakra reserve is larger than average I have trouble with techniques that require only a small amount. Most times I input way too much chakra and the jutsu either flops or explodes in my face. I was thinking to use this seal to help drain off the excess whilst also storing it for emergencies."

"Alright, it's a bit lacking but I can see where you're going… but this, what is this part for?" She squinted at the seal, tapping on the swirl that had been meticulously worked in, "I've never seen a design like this before…" As the last known Uzumaki she didn't think there was anyone who could catch her out on her false claims of ignorance, choosing to use this chance to probe for answers.

"Stability." Miyu answered without falter, and the fact it wasn't a lie made it all the more easier.

"You…" Kushina simply couldn't think of a more wasteful use for the age-old seal, and decided her heart was better off the less she thought about it, "Anyway, this seal won't do at all! Redo it! No wait, I'd better help, seeing as I'm the only one in the village with qualifications while the pervert's gone."

"Ah-"

"Is there a problem with that?" The proclaimed seal master raised a single brow in query.

"Just a small one… maybe…" She rubbed at her wrist, the stark, black ink neither smudging or erasing, even when eased with some spit, "I already activated it, back when you were reprimanding Shisui-san." She had thought at the time that she might as well do something productive whilst watching. "Also," She quickly continued before either could comment on her foolishness, "This is Number 2," Flipping over her other wrist, a mirror of the questionable seal could be seen, "And this one works fine so…" In fact, the theory went that they would work better together, adding a sense of balance. Kurama had approved it, despite his distaste and unwillingness to learn. Orochimaru had understood it, with his vast knowledge. And taking a third and fourth look, Kushina could only accept it, feeling more than seeing the connection between the two. Fleetingly, the woman's thoughts lingered on the ingenuity of it, considering how to better the already good seal. A third anchor would complete it, one slightly more focused on the storage of the excess chakra rather than the refinement of jutsu, and if balance was to be kept in mind then the best place for it would probably be the stomach.

* * *

 **A/N** Thank you for reading.

Other than some character introductions nothing much happened... really nothing happened TT_TT.

I think I'll also be doing some forceful progression next chapter...i want to be able to instigate some romance please...


	8. At Walking Pace

**A/N** It has been a while :P

I don't really know what I'm doing with this anymore. Just writing when the urge strikes I suppose. But that leaves for irregular and slow updates and I'll apologise for that for any people following this fic.

* * *

 **~Chapter 8 – AT WALKING PACE**

"Gahk-!" Iruka flailed, hands flying to his face despite the face the sand had already made it to his eyes, and then as he dropped his guard he was similarly dropped to the ground in one smooth motion. "That's dirty Anko!"

"Hmph," The older girl huffed at his whining, not at all apologetic, "Ninja don't fight fair, loser." Despite her name calling her words didn't carry their usual bite, and a hand was lowered to help him up.

"Still…" He tried blinking out the remaining irritants in his now watery eyes, looking all the more pitiful.

"Well, Anko has a point," Miyu approached from the side, holding out a water bottle for him to use, "But I don't think your wrong to want to fight fairly… just don't get yourself killed over it." Quietly he thanked her, some of the tension rolling off his shoulders as he rinsed the grit from his eyes. These days Miyu had come to appreciate their company, both alone and together. Anko's thorny care, Iruka's naïve kindness, and the stubborn bickering that followed so closely behind the two.

"So, you brats have your graduation coming up?" Anko questioned, idly rolling the kinks out of her wrist.

"Yeah, at the end of the month." Despite their complaints Anko was still calling them 'brats', even though they were only a couple years apart. The both of them, Iruka especially, had quickly realized that trying to change it was a wasted effort. "We'll pass it easy, right Miyu-chan?"

"En." Studying together, training together, the two would easily top their other peers at this rate if they hadn't already. That being said, the curriculum in her time had been far too lax, softened by the absence of war.

"Do you have any other plans for the rest of the day, Miyu?" Anko asked, about as tentatively as her personality would allow, "I was wondering if you'd like to go Dangoya?" Despite it being newly established, she already had a substantial love for the snack store.

"Ah, sorry Anko, I promised Fugaku-san I'd return early today." The purple haired girl nodded in resignation. She understood that once Miyu had settled into her new home there would be less time for them to meet, since the Sharingan required rigorous training lest it fall into enemy hands. After starting the Academy she was amazed the girl had any free time at all and was willing to share some of that time, that Namikaze didn't snatch away, with her. So yes, Anko being the mature girl she was, understood. That didn't mean though, that she wouldn't grab the loser when the other girl left, so she at least had some company at her favoured store.

* * *

"Am I even necessary?" Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't Fugaku that dictated her clan training, though he did pop in every once in a while to check. Instead it was the newly returned Uchiha Shisui, who had no idea what he was supposed to do as a teacher especially when his supposed student was far beyond the expected level.

"Of course Shisui-san." Miyu replied with a grin, the three tomoe of a matured Sharingan swirling in each of her young eyes. She excelled, regardless if it was wiser to keep her abilities hidden, mainly because she wasn't going to waste time acting like she couldn't, especially in front of another Sharingan user. "So what's next? Sparring?" Eagerly she began to stretch out her limbs, with an enthusiasm she seemed to have plucked out of nowhere.

"Nah not today," Sparing with her was a lose-lose situation, because he not only feel guilty about beating her into the ground, but also due to the stink-eye his favourite little cousin would give him for the following days.

"Ehh…" Her partner, if he was here, would have called her out for whining, but currently the fox had more important matters to tend to. "Today is definitely the day though." rather than be put out that she couldn't best him in spars, she was happy that there was still more for her to learn.

"Can't have you too busted up before you go see Kushina." She would have his head.

"Ah." The girl frowned ever so slightly as the woman came to mind. Recently Kushina had been weirding her out, with her strange knowing smiles and attempts to instigate more girl talk after their lessons. Miyu found the first instance to be bad enough and had hoped her meagre answers would be enough to placate the woman. If anything, it had made her worse.

"I hear she's found herself a protégé," He commented with a smile, "Told me that you might be related to her and not Namikaze with how quickly you've been picking up fuijutsu."

"I really doubt the intricacies of seals is inherited through blood," She tells him wryly, "I'm just one of the few who's bothered to put the effort in." Shisui nods. He can concede to that because the rumour of Ushio-nin carrying fuinjutsu in their blood was only that, a rumour.

"Well then, how would you feel about sparing some of that effort to learn kenjutsu?" Strictly he was supposed to be teaching her how to wield the Sharingan, and only that, but seeing the way her face lit up at the mention of swords he couldn't bring himself to care about the time he had just promised away.

* * *

Miyu and Iruka manage to graduate at the top of their class, and as teams are selected through likeness, and not some haphazard attempt to balance the best student with the worse, they find themselves teammates. There's no third member, and Miyu vaguely remembers her Iruka telling her about a faceless teammate who had left him in the dust, gone on to become a jounin, and then died in an unassuming way somewhere in the line of duty. She looks around the class and wonders exactly who it was she taken the spot by Iruka's side, or rather who they had both replaced as the top team coming out of the Academy.

When their sensei arrives he is one of the first few, and it ends her idle thoughts. The man is a Hyuga with long brown hair and a headband over his forehead that indicates he is probably from the branch family. He's awfully familiar to her, but before she can debate further on his identity, he introduces himself as Hyuga Hizashi. Not Hiashi who had been the clan head and Hinata's father, but Hizashi the ill-fated twin who had sacrificed himself to protect his clan and snuff out the final flames of the third war. He was to be, would soon be, Neji's father, and she would be damned if she let him die like that again.

"Usually there would be another test before you would be allowed to call yourself genin, but I've been assured by several others that such a thing is unnecessary," He announced, straight-laced and straight-faced, "That being said, I'll be treating this first week as a trial. If at any point I deem either of you unfit or unprepared for duty, Team 1 will be immediately disbanded. Do we have an understanding?"

"Hai Sensei!" They raised their hands in matching salutes, and though sloppy, it worked in earning some of his approval.

"Good. Now can you tell me a bit about yourselves? Strengths and weaknesses would be helpful." Iruka sent her a glance and was the first between them too speak up.

"Umino Iruka. Both my parents are registered jounin and taught me some sensor skills. Other than that, my taijutsu is decent though I don't know many ninjutsu or any genjutsu."

"Uchiha Miyu," She began, searching his expression for any disdain towards her clan, "I specialise in ninjutsu and I'm currently being taught some fuinjutsu by Uzumaki Kushina. My weakness is taijutsu and as for genjutsu… well if it weren't for my eyes I wouldn't be able to perform any of it."

"I'll be able to help with taijutsu and ninjutsu easily enough, but if either of you are looking for advice in one of your more specialised fields I suggest you look towards some more outside sources. For now though," He raised his hand, bringing his fingers into a beckoning motion, "I'd like to spar against my student hopefuls."

* * *

His partner had never been the brains over brawns type, and had an odd tendency to befriend any enemy she punched at hard enough or simply for long enough. That being said, she had been close friends with a Nara and once assuming the Hokage office, had taken the time to review the annals of history. It was with that knowledge, and whatever else they had pieced together in their combined lifetimes, that they decided what needed to change, as if to pry away the lynchpins of Madara's plans. Whilst the war dragged on there was little they could do in places like Iwa or Kumo, so instead they set their sights elsewhere, to a more remote and less invested nation.

"You're back." The voice was dry and completely unamused, though a tinge more curious than hostile. His animosity having been slowly worn down but the presence of a being that did no harm to him, and only stood by to watch.

"Are you going to attack me this time too?" The fox yawned, showing off his impressive rows of teeth before settling his snout back over his paws.

"No," Despite his young outer appearance, the tone of his voice and the way he held himself marked him as an older veteran, "I have questions."

"Then ask them," Kurama replied easily, "Though I cannot promise you will like the answers I have to give."

"I want to know who you are, and what your intentions are, both for me and for my village," From a pocket underneath his green sash he pulled out a scroll that the fox knew held nothing but words, "It says that you want to help my Kirigakure, but what is written here is only our downfall. How is this not a thinly veiled threat? And by what logic would you have me listen to you?"

"I am a demon in the guise of a beast, and I assume you understand what I mean by that," Their existence was known throughout the elemental nations as all powerful beings that could raise villages on a mere whim, "It is in my partner's interest that Kirigakure is to prosper, lest it dwindle and weaken enough to fall into the manipulations of a madman."

"My village will not fall," The young Mizukage showed little expression on his face but his white-knuckled fists were telling enough, "We do not need the outside help of an enemy."

"Pride is, as usual, a common sin of man," The fox sighed but had no intention of moving, finding little threat in his current situation, "Do as you wish then, but I will witness this resolve of yours whether you wish it or not."

"As a spy?" The suspicion was well founded.

"No, as an observer, though I suppose my mere words cannot be trusted," He flicked his tail in disinterest, "Regardless you have the pleasure of me as your guard for this interim. At this point in time we might have the largest interest in keeping you alive, which is a bit sad don't you think Mizukage-sama." The fox drawled out his words in a mocking tone but the village leader had had years to practice keeping his composure.

"And how long is this going to last?" For how long would he have to deal with the whims of a tailed beast. Quietly he considered the pros and cons of attempting to get the fox to submit. Kiri could definitely use another jinchuriki after the last one abandoned it.

"Until this war reaches its conclusion," Kurama replied, "Show me, show us, the might of you and your village."

* * *

"I heard that you have a fox as a ninken," Instead of discussing the subtleties of cardinal directions on seal placements, Kushina had brought up something her curious nature would no longer let lie, "Though I have yet to see hide or hair of it yet." Which was odd due to how close her sources said the two were.

"Yang is out scouting what is to be his future territory," She replied vaguely, "He is not as tame as most have assumed, and enjoys the freedom of the forest."

"So you don't fight together?"

"We can, given that were together in a battle. I'll introduce you when he returns." Miyu added with a contemplative look.

"You can't call him back?" The woman queried.

"I can, it's just it will take some time for him to return," Her eyes were activated, catching the minute fluctuations of chakra in the written seal before her, "He'll probably get distracted, maybe he won't want to come back yet, or maybe he'll just feel like making me wait." With a final stroke the energy seemed to settle until it was barely discernible from the inky, black lines.

"Honestly, the Sharingan is a bit of a cheat." Kushina huffed, checking over the now stable seal.

"The Byakugan's probably worse." And that skill had likely gone on to form the Cage Bird Seal the clan was so intimate with. "Ne, will you tell me about the Uzumaki Clan?" The blonde found herself asking whilst on a similar topic.

"What is it you want to know?" Kushina seemed pleasantly surprised and utterly at ease, more than willing to indulge the recluse's interests.

"Anything." Everything.

"Well, the Uzumaki Clan was the most predominant clan of Uzushiogakure. The hidden village nestled in the Land of Whirlpools. Our blood ties us back to the Senju of Konoha, which lead to such close ties between both nations in the first place, but we never picked up any trace of their Mokuton affinity or any other sort of Kekkei Genkai." She fiddled with the ends of her vibrant red hair, one of the traits that had been passed along, "What we lack in blood though, we made up for with knowledge. Fuinjutsu just happened to be the forte of our majority, and was easily incorporated into our everything. I came to Konoha when I was pretty young, and do you know how surprised I was that the Academy had nothing on seals?" Her expression fell a bit, becoming something slightly more sombre, "I've been meaning to go back to see if I could find anything left in the ruins but…" Besides what would have obviously been raided already, she didn't think she would ever be ready to see the ruins of her old home.

"Maybe you should take Minato with you?" He could be both emotional and physical support.

"And have him drool all over any scrolls we do find? Please." She'd consider it.

* * *

Miyu chose to wander the streets after her lesson had ended, declining dinner invitations in favour of a solitary walk. Dusk was settling in, the soft glow of windows helping to illuminate the streets as Konoha readied for the night. She could feel the uneasiness as she passed, civilians unable to hold their flinches when she caught their gazes.

"Do you mind cutting that out?" A pair of knees stopped in front of her bench, blocking the view she had been taking in for the last hour or so, "I got a civilian complaint."

"Ah, my bad." She looked up at his blank stare, slowly letting the chakra bleed from her eyes. The forced clarity dropped and the colours seemed to dull from their oversaturated state. The tension in her small shoulders dropped but a hum of pain buzzed persistently behind her temple, likely from information overload.

"What was the point of it?" Was it some sort of Uchiha training method? Could it possibly be of use to him and his own transplanted eye?

"Nothing really, Hatake-san." It amused her the way his brow furrowed in distaste at the way she said his name. His frown deepened, not exactly approving of her vague answer either. "You know how the Sharingan works," She added, "You don't get to forget things it captures, and I thought the village right now, is something I wouldn't want to forget."

"I see." Silently he took a seat besides her, mulling over his own thoughts. Brooding quietly, she could barely see a glimpse of the man he could become.

"How is your eye adjusting?" Miyu wasn't sure if it was meant to be a secret, but at least as an Uchiha there wasn't anything too strange about her knowing.

"Well enough." Physically it had healed well, with no rejection to his lack of Uchiha blood. The downside of courses, was his inability to deactivate it. It was only recently he had become used to the chakra drain, though he had done his best to minimize it by blocking his sight.

"Good." Miyu fiddled with her fingers, soft with the beginning of callouses forming on the tips, how did socialising work again? This Kakashi was a stranger to her, one she didn't know and had no idea how to get to know.

"Do you hate me?" His question was sudden, his gaze now more puzzled than anything else.

"Wha- No not at all?! What gave you that idea?" He raised her brow as if to ask her 'Really?'

"You avoid me every chance you get," The boy began, "And still call me Hatake-san."

"Out of respect-"

"I've heard you call the Hokage, Gramps, to his face," He didn't allow for her interruption, "And when you think I'm not looking you make this weird expression."

"I didn't know you cared so much," Even young Kakashi was a brilliant ninja, and she had been a bit too careless in her wallowing, "I assure you it's not because I hate you."

"Why then?" Why indeed…

"It was love at first sight." She blurts out, lies and truth mingling until they are no longer able to be differentiated. He sits there speechless, grey eyes widening slowly, and she takes the chance to leave, walking very fast in any direction away from him. Miyu doesn't even realise she's been holding her breath until she finds herself gulping for air somewhere in a quiet residential district.

"That's your type then?"

"Gyah!" She hadn't noticed her tail in her haste to get away, and maybe wouldn't have noticed even if she had been paying attention. "What the hell? Don't scare me like that Shisui!"

"Kushina will be psyched to know." A warm hand landed on her head, and she allowed it to remain.

"It's not like that," He hummed disbelievingly, and she could only hope he would keep his gossiping to himself, "What're you doing out here anyway."

"You missed dinner," Shisui answered in explanation, "Mikoto was getting worried so I told her I'd go and find you."

"Consider me found," She felt bad for causing concern and allowed herself to be escorted back, "And how has your day been, Shisui-san?"

"Great. Even better now that I've found my Sunshine again." She rolls her eyes at his flattery but doesn't stop the smile that comes as he starts to chatter.

* * *

There's a row of cacti sitting along the sunniest windowsill. They are small, prickly and passed their season for blooming, but they steal her attention more than the colourful array of flowers by the front of shop ever could.

"I was lucky enough to get some seeds in from Suna before the war broke out," The florist tells her, looking more like a simple civilian than the head of T.I. most know him as, "You'll have to take my word for it, but the one on the end there has some of the most vibrant blooms I've ever seen."

"Red ones right?" Though really it was a variety of shades, mimicking a flicker of flame. She remembered this particular cactus, remembered scouring over books with Ino to find the loudest and proudest type, and remembered it sitting honoured on the desk of the fifth Kazekage.

"How did you know?" He asked, genuinely surprised. Mentally she slapped herself, her tongue growing loose without Kurama here to ground her.

"Lucky guess," She picked up the plant carefully, frowning at the boring pot, "Do you have anything in orange?"

"I think I do somewhere in the back." He smiles at how gingerly she handles the plant, carefully bringing it over to him as if she expects it to jump out of hands and crash onto the floor. It only takes him a moment to repot the plant, but in that time, it feels as if he has spent an age turning over thoughts in his mind. Despite the profiling the Sandaime order being long pushed aside, he still wonders about the child Orochimaru brought back from Amegakure.

"How much will that be?" Inoichi rattles off the total and takes the handful of ryo she passes him.

"It only needs to be watered once a week." He tells her as she's about to leave. It seemed Shisui had been waiting for her outside, the accomplished jounin raising a hand in greeting as he caught his sight. His expression is brighter and happier than it has been for a long time, and Inoichi is relieved to see it. There's something more though, lingering in the soft gaze he has for his new clan member, but this time Inoichi pushes it aside and tries not to analyse it too deeply. Really, its none of his business.

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks for reading


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